A Place in Their Hearts
by Rosie Angelina
Summary: (Sequel of *Tears of Happiness*) His hope of being forgiven crossed the sea until coming to Caitlin's compassionate heart. Now, the magnificent EM-1 would have a place to stay near her and her two Guardian Angels.
1. Prophetic Name

Hello there! Happy International Friendship Day! :)

This is the background story of Nathaniel, the friend of Caitlin who made his appearance in *A Kiss at Midnight*. I've created this character as a tribute to my favourite articulated engine; the B&O's EM-1.

Just in case, I warn you that this fic includes religious content.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Thomas & Friends. All recognisable characters belong to HiT Entertainment. They are used for entertainment purposes only.

The OCs **Nathaniel** , **Austin** , **Bernard** , **Washington** and **Mr.** **O'Mara** belong to me.

* * *

 _"Not only were the EM-1s capable of holding their own on steep grades with a coal drag in tow but also it was arguably one of the most aesthetically beautiful large steamers ever built."_

Adam Burns (American-Rails*com)

* * *

 **CHAPTER I**

 **PROPHETIC NAME**

* * *

 _"I feel in the depths of my heart that your name not only describes what you are, but also your destiny."_ -Mr. O'Mara.

* * *

People love steam locomotives.

From the children who walk hand by hand with their parents; to the grandparents who walk with a cane.

There is a strong bond between humans and those awesome machines.

People just hear a puff and get excited. They automatically look towards the tracks and wave at the train with a huge smile, and the passengers inside the coaches return the greeting happily as if everybody knows each other. And of course, the engine loudly blows her whistle showing that she also loves people. With that, maybe it would not be mistaken to say that steam locomotives are the most admired of all the inventions of human being. In fact, someone out there even said they are God's favourite grandchildren...

One can wonder; why do engines fascinate people so much to the point of stealing their hearts? No one exactly knows the reason. It is simply a mystery. Perhaps that mystery is precisely the reason, since the unknown can cause as much doubt as amazement in humans. Or maybe engines have something that makes them resemble humans. Either way, the steam train has a long love story with people.

And this love is quite strong on the Island of Sodor, one of the last places in the world where engines can live without fear of tomorrow. Here, the engines are very happy by working together and sharing their friendship as a big family. Even some of them are couples in love, like Gordon and Caitlin, for example. Gordon is the biggest, fastest engine on Sodor, and Caitlin is a streamlined engine who works at the Other Railway on the mainland. Ever since they have declared their love to each other, life is more wonderful for them.

But the following story in particular is not about any engine of Sodor or the Other Railway. It is about one engine that lived in the USA.

The story begins two months after Gordon and Caitlin's first Valentine's Day. At the end of April, to be exact.

And this was what happened.

It was a sunny spring morning. All the engines enjoyed their jobs, hearing the birdsong while puffing down the line through the flowery fields. But there was one engine that did not enjoy anything. Actually, he had had several moments of sadness the last two and a half years. But his sadness was not due to lack of love from people, but due to something wrong he did.

The engine sighed deeply with his gaze lost to the horizon. Four days had passed since his last day of work, and now he was parked in the dead storage yard waiting for his sentence. A wave of fear moved through his boiler at the idea of being scrapped, because it was a well-known fact that sadness increased the suffering in that moment while happiness made exactly the opposite... He immediately looked up at the sky. _"I'm afraid, my Lord,"_ he thought with humility, _"remorse torments me… My soul can't be calm because of that terrible error I made… I betrayed my best friend and I can't know if she forgave me… But you already showed me that you can do what I can't... So, please, my Lord, let me know if I was forgiven... let me know it... That's the only thing I need to be able to face death calmly as my brothers did... Please, my Lord... I fully trust you."_

On finishing his prayer, the engine felt some peace and closed his eyes with relief. So he began to remember his happy years, those years in which he enjoyed life together with his brothers and they _made the mountains shake_ with their powerful whistles.

He remembered with special fondness the day he was born, that sunny day of August...

* * *

 ** _Baldwin Locomotive Works, Pennsylvania, USA. Fifteen years ago._**

Just like every time that an engine was about to be born, the workers were very excited. They looked at the 458.4-ton machine they have just finished to build. This giant machine was an EM-1 articulated locomotive, of the 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone type. He wore a black livery and had the Nº 7629 over his pilot and in both sides of his cab.

Associating with the workers' joy it was Lady, the Angel of the Engines. She loved her job of placing the soul inside the machines and permeating them with human love. _"You're very fortunate, son of mine,"_ she said to the EM-1, _"the name they chose for you means 'Gift from God', and it'll be prophetic in your life."_

Lady placed the soul inside the engine, and soon the heart of the machine began to beat. Now the EM-1 was aware of his existence, and a comforting sensation of warmth invaded his whole body as his boiler bubbled for the first time.

The workers noticed that the engine was already alive, so they placed themselves in front of him to see him open the eyes. They had waited hours for this moment.

Suddenly, the engine felt uncomfortable because of the heat and he trembled a little. _"Breathe, son,"_ said Lady, _"you need air to control your internal heat... Just breathe and you'll feel good again."_ The engine took a few seconds to discover how to breathe. He opened his mouth and let the air enter with a long sigh. Lady smiled tenderly. _"Welcome to life, son,"_ she said while giving the engine a heavenly embrace. _"Be happy... be happy."_

And Lady returned to Heaven.

The fresh air regulated the heat inside the engine's boiler, making him stopped trembling. Now the engine could breathe normally and at that moment he began to hear the sounds from outside. Then he slowly opened his eyes.

All what the engine could see was a blurry blue spot surrounded by the glow of the sun. He intuitively blinked a few times until his eyes got accustomed to the light. He could see better now, but the blue spot was still a bit blurry. As he tried to focus on it, he heard a voice.

"Look here below, big baby," said the voice, "it'll take you a while to see beyond your coupler properly."

The engine looked down and saw a lot of people in front of him. A worker approached his pilot and his eyes met his. "Hello, Nathaniel," said the worker with a smile, "welcome to life."

The new-born smiled shyly. "H-hello," he responded.

An ovation boomed all over the works. The workers always enjoyed to see an engine's birth. They felt that the machines were as their children. And to be honest, they were not so far from the truth.

As the applause and cheers ended, the man in front of the new-born spoke again. "Nathaniel," he said and pointed out a place near there, "meet Caitlin. She'll take you to your home at the _Baltimore and Ohio Railroad_."

Nathaniel looked up. Now he could already see beyond his coupler properly. He noticed that the blue spot he had seen before was actually an engine; a gorgeous female streamlined engine P-7a class that was smiling at him sweetly. Nathaniel automatically returned the smile. "Hello, Caitlin," he said, "pleased to meet you."

It was the first time that Caitlin saw an engine being born, so she could not help but feeling a maternal fondness for this _big baby_. "Hello, Nathaniel," she replied, "pleased to meet you too."

They both looked at each other tenderly.

Some minutes after, the two engines got out of the Works and set off for the Cumberland's mountain region in Maryland. The day was beautiful, with a pleasant climate and the sun shining brightly under a clear sky.

"Were you also born today, Caitlin?" asked Nathaniel as they puffed down the line.

"No," replied Caitlin, "I was born eighteen years ago."

"Oh… Then you already know everything about life."

Caitlin chuckled. "I can say I know many things, but not everything. We always learn something new."

"I get it. And do you know what my job will be?"

"Yes. You were designed for strength, so you'll pull heavy freight trains across the mountains, just like your brothers. You have twenty-nine brothers, by the way."

"Wow! I'm eager to meet my brothers and pull those heavy trains. Do you work with freight too?"

"No. I take fast passenger trains, for I was designed for speed."

"Ah. But, we'll see each other again, won't we?"

"Of course. We'll see each other as often as we can and we'll be good friends."

Nathaniel smiled widely. "Glad to hear that."

Caitlin thought she had never seen such a beautiful smile.

Caitlin continued to answer Nathaniel's questions and she taught him the names of the places where they passed by. Soon they came to a junction, and as they stopped, a lot of butterflies flew close to them. "Watch that, Caitlin!" exclaimed Nathaniel. "What are those flying colours?"

"They're butterflies, the most beautiful insects."

"Wow... They're beautiful indeed." Nathaniel saw that some butterflies landed over the upper part of his pilot and he felt happy. He was delighted to be able to observe in detail the forms and colours of each of them. But at one point he looked at Caitlin confused. "Are there butterflies of your colour?" he asked. "I didn't see any blue."

"Yes, there are blue butterflies too. But it's very rare to see them. Looks like they're experts on getting hide over there."

"Oh... What a pity… I would like to see one…"

Caitlin stared at Nathaniel tenderly. She noticed that he acted almost as a kid; a kid that was delighted by the simplest things he discovered on his way. Also, Caitlin noticed that Nathaniel was the most handsome between all his brothers, with his typically masculine features.

The butterflies flew again and a while later the signal changed to green. Then Nathaniel gave Caitlin a naughty look. "I've the feeling that I would be able to go as fast as you," he said. "How about a race up to the next junction?"

"Has anyone said _race_?" asked Caitlin. "That's right up my alley!"

"Ha! Ha! Let's go then!"

And they threw themselves into the race.

"YEEEEEE-HAAAAW!

"HA! HA! HA! You're funny, Nathaniel!"

"You still didn't see anything! Just listen to this!" Nathaniel blew his whistle with all his strength.

"WOOOW! You'll make the mountains shake!"

They both laughed out loud.

Although having been specifically designed for strength, Nathaniel was also able to take express trains. So it was not so hard for him to keep up with Caitlin and they reached the next junction almost at the same time. After that, they kept enjoying their funny ride.

On arriving at Cumberland, they entered the yard where the oldest of the EM-1s was waiting for them. "Look, Nathaniel," said Caitlin, "that's your older brother, the number 7600. Isn't he awesome?"

"W-wow… He's magnificent..." Nathaniel was impressed. Only now that he saw his brother he could notice how enormous and beautiful the engines of his class were.

As they stopped near the Nº 7600, Caitlin greeted him. "Hello, Austin!"

"Hello, rare beauty!" responded Austin with his pleasant, deep manly voice. "I see we have a new friend."

"I can assure you that we have an endearing new friend. This is Nathaniel, the one you've been waiting for."

Austin's eyes met his new brother's. "Hello, Nathaniel, welcome home. I'm Austin, your older brother."

"Hello, Austin," replied Nathaniel with a smile, "pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too. Did you enjoy the ride from the Works?"

"Yes! It was a nice ride. Caitlin taught me many things and we also had a funny race."

Austin looked at Caitlin affectionately. "You know, precious," he said, "when I learned that they sent you to bring my brother from the Works I knew that he would be in good company. Thanks for giving him a happy beginning of life."

"Oh, Austin… It was my pleasure. For the first time I saw an engine being born. It was very exciting." Caitlin looked at Nathaniel. "Well, I leave you in your brother's good company. I must return to Baltimore now."

"Caitlin… as my brother said, you gave me a happy beginning of life. What can I do to show my gratitude?"

"Aww… I just want you to enjoy life, my _baby_."

Nathaniel blushed. "O-okay... _mom_."

"Hee! Hee! You're so cute." Caitlin pumped her pistons. "See you, guys!"

"Bye, Caitlin!" responded the two EM-1s.

Nathaniel stared at his 'mom' while she puffed away. "She's very sweet…" he said.

"You're quite right," replied Austin. "She's a wonderful friend, the only female engine over here. Be kind to her, okay?"

"Oh... of course. By the way, what makes female engines different from us?"

"Well, from what I can see in Caitlin, they have a face with fine features and a soft voice like women. And it seems that they have a maternal heart too."

"I could feel that," Nathaniel smiled. "Caitlin said to me 'my baby'."

"And your face got red…"

They both laughed.

Austin looked at his brother tenderly. "Let's go now," he said, "the others want to know you."

Nathaniel eagerly followed Austin to see his other brothers. The majority were working at the time, but four of them were in the yard. On seeing them, Nathaniel thought that the sight of four EM-1s together was worthy of a postal picture. Everything seemed too small beside them.

"Hey, guys!" called Austin, "meet our brother Nathaniel." The four giants smiled widely. "Hello, Nathaniel!" they exclaimed. "Hello, brothers!" replied the new member of the family.

Nathaniel was happy with his brothers. He noticed that, despite having an intimidating appearance, they were friendly and funny. "Let's hear your whistle, Nat," said one of them in a moment. Nathaniel obeyed with pleasure, and the echo of his whistle was heard for several seconds after he stopped. "Stunning steep climbs!" exclaimed his brother. "You do have the guts!"

"Ha! Ha! Thank you!"

Nathaniel saw the mountain that rose at the side of the yard and remembered what Caitlin had told him during the race they had. So he came up with something. "I have an idea!" he said enthusiastically. "Let's blow our whistles in turns to see who gets to make that mountain shake. It'll be called the _Battle of Whistles_. What do you think?"

Much to Nathaniel's delight, his brothers loved the idea and the battle began immediately. Each of them did their best, and their whistles, together with their laughs; could be heard several kilometres around. And even though none of them got to make the mountain really shake, they spent a very joyful moment until Austin decided it was time to get back to work. So, during the rest of the day, Nathaniel got to know all his other brothers. And with Austin's help, he learned how to couple up to the heavy trains and pull them.

The EM-1s were really enjoying life and their crews loved them. But they were not aware of a painful reality: the golden age of steam was coming to its end...

Locomotives that were being building at these days, in spite of carrying the latest technology available; were doomed to a very short life before the invincible diesels' army.

* * *

Back in the present, Nathaniel continued with his gaze lost to the horizon. The dead storage yard was the worst place to be in. Here, time simply did not run. It was as boring as being in a static display in a museum, but much more chilling, since here the machines were only awaiting their encounter with the scrapper's torch or the miracle of being saved by some charitable soul.

The EM-1s had already gone. All but two. The happy years passed too fast and the last ones were particularly difficult for Nathaniel.

Four years before, when the diesels were already conquering the whole _railroad_ , Nathaniel and his brothers were transferred from Cumberland to Pittsburgh Division in Pennsylvania. That was the first warning sign for them, the beginning of their end. And to make matters worse, their four-digit numbers were changed by others of three-digit to make room for newly arriving diesels. Their numbers were now from 650 to 679. All of this was a harsh psychological blow to Nathaniel, who now wore the Nº 679. For an engine, losing his/her original number is like losing his/her identity, unless it is due to a good cause. And losing it in favour of the diesels was not exactly a good cause; but a humiliation. Austin said that they must at least feel fortunate to continue living, but that was not enough for the youngest of the family. Nathaniel became irritable and extremely sensitive, so much that he no longer resembled the sweet _big baby_ who had invented the 'Battle of Whistles'. Now he got angry by anything and did not stop ranting against the new diesels. _"What's gotten into you, Nat?! That's not you!"_ his brothers used to complain. And Nathaniel, looking down at his number plate, always screamed the same answer; _"Of course this is not me! I'm the #7629!"_

But after one year of repeated bad mood attacks, Nathaniel had another harsh blow: some of his brothers were removed from service, just like his beloved 'mom' Caitlin...

* * *

Frustration and fear had taken over the EM-1s. Stopping working being so young took them by surprise, and the mere thought that they could be scrapped terrified them. Those who were still working tried to comfort the removed ones, although the truth was that they needed consolation as well. But when they learned that Caitlin was also out of service and had already received her death sentence, they thought they would not endure it. The most affected by this was undoubtedly Nathaniel, who had with Caitlin such a deep friendship like the very mother-son bond.

One morning, while his boiler was heating up, Nathaniel was very sad by thinking of the unfortunate Caitlin. But his _engineer_ , Mr. O'Mara, arrived with an announcement that gave him happiness.

"Good morning, boy!"

"Good morning, sir. I'm almost ready to start work."

"I see. But first I want to tell you something very exciting."

"Really? What is it?"

"Caitlin will NOT be scrapped."

"W-what?"

"She was bought by an English businessman and will go to work in London. What do you think?"

Nathaniel's jaw dropped. "O-oh my g-goodness… That's what I call good news! My Caitlin was saved from death… and she'll keep being a really useful engine! Oh, sir, this makes me so happy!"

"Glad to hear that."

"I just hope I could say goodbye to her. We've not seen each other so often lately."

"Easy, she won't leave without saying goodbye to her friends. Besides, you're her baby, don't you remember?"

"Ha! Ha! Yes, I do!"

Nathaniel felt happy with the announcement. He could not wait to see Caitlin to congratulate her, and maybe to have a last funny race together. He knew it would be hard to be separated from her, but he preferred that she was far and alive instead of staying there only to be scrapped.

But Nathaniel's joy faded as soon as he remembered his retired brothers and their uncertain future. "Oh, dear…" he said.

"What's the matter, boy?"

"If only my brothers and me could be saved as well… I'm very scared about what awaits us…"

"Oh…"

Mr. O'Mara felt a pain in his heart. He would have liked to have enough money to buy Nathaniel and assure him a happy future. This kind man has been married for several years, but due to an unknown reason, his wife had never been able to have babies. So he loved Nathaniel as a real son and did not want to lose him. But he had already heard the rumour that all the EM-1s would be removed from service and scrapped within the following months.

However, Mr. O'Mara thought he should encourage Nathaniel instead of showing that he was also scared about what awaited them. So he climbed on his pilot and put a hand on his cheek. "I can understand how you feel, Nat," he said softly, "because things really got ugly for steam engines... I feel bad for not being able to do anything to save you, but allow me to say two things that might give your heart some relief."

"Go ahead, sir. Your words always help me feel good."

Mr. O'Mara smiled. "Thanks. Well, the first one it's about the… scrapping. You know, they say that if engines are happy at that moment, they practically don't suffer. So, I think you shouldn't be so much afraid."

Nathaniel was not so satisfied with those words, but he valued the good intention of his _engineer_. "Sorry for not agreeing with you, sir," he said kindly. "I've already heard about that issue. But I wonder; how can an engine be happy at such a horrifying moment? I don't know what's supposed to be done to stop being afraid and wait for death happily… It just doesn't make sense to me."

"I know it seems to make no sense, but there is actually something that helps us not to fear death; it's called clear conscience. To have done everything right; without having anything to regret; without being in debt to anyone; to have loved our friends by staying with them in good times and in bad… all of that makes us have a clear conscience. And if we have the blessing of being accompanied and comforted in our final hours by someone we love, we'll be able to feel happy until the last moment."

Nathaniel stayed open-mouthed. "Wow… that sounds amazing, sir... It had never occurred to me that a clear conscience could calm the fear of death… or that consolation from someone we love could give joy at the final hours... Now I think it makes sense... I'll reflect on my actions and try to do everything right to have a clear conscience."

"Oh… That's good. You do learn fast."

Nathaniel giggled.. "By the way, sir, my boiler is already bubbling. What's the second thing you were going to tell me?"

"It's about your name. Do you know what the meaning of 'Nathaniel' is?"

"Um… n-no, sir. I must admit that I didn't even know that names had their meanings."

"Okay. You have a Biblical name of Hebrew origin that means ´Gift from God´."

Nathaniel gasped. He had the feeling that he already heard this phrase before, but he did not remember where nor who had said it. "Gift from God…?" he whispered.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes… But, why they called me that, sir?"

"Well, I just know that employees of the Works choose the names for the engines they build. Maybe it be at random, or one that suits the engine. But what I can assure you is that names can be prophetic."

Once again, Nathaniel had the feeling of being hearing words that he already heard before. What was happening to him was that the words that Lady had said when his soul began to live were emerging now from depths of his subconscious. "Sir... what it means that names can be prophetic?"

"It means they can describe what you are or even mark your destiny."

"My… So, am I a gift from God?"

Mr. O'Mara looked deeply into his engine's eyes. "Yes, Nat," he said as he slowly slid his hand over Nathaniel's cheek, "you were a heavenly gift in my life... As I don't have my own children, you are a real son to me, and I'll be grateful to Heaven for the rest of my life for having given me the blessing of being your _engineer_. When you get to reflect on your acts, I want you to know that you don't owe me anything, because you made me happy since the first time I climbed into your cab… Many times I've imagined that you were the size of a human baby and I took you into my arms..."

"Oh, sir..." Nathaniel was touched. "I'm honoured to hear all this... I can say that I really feel your fatherly love... Now I think I'll be able to wait for my destiny with a clear conscience, although it'll be hard to say goodbye to you…"

Mr. O'Mara swallowed hard to clear the lump that formed in his throat. He noticed that Nathaniel was about to cry and he felt he'll also break. But at this moment, Heaven inspired him what to respond. "Nat..." he whispered, "we must be prepared to say goodbye to each other… But I feel in the depths of my heart that your name not only describes what you are, but also your destiny."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean... given that the greatest gift from God is life; perhaps you'll survive."

Nathaniel got surprised. Those words gave him a glimmer of hope. "Wow... I hope you're right, sir."

"Me too," Mr O'Mara smiled tenderly. "It would be wonderful that someone saves you… Well, let's work now."

"Yes, sir. Thanks for this conversation."

"You're welcome, boy."

Nathaniel looked at his _engineer_ sweetly as this came down from his pilot. "Oh, sir… can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"Um... why do you kiss your wife on the lips?"

"Oh..." Mr. O'Mara chuckled, "because kissing her sensual little lips gives me happiness and makes me able to endure anything."

"My goodness… Then you're a very lucky man, sir."

"Ha! Ha! You're right, Nat!"

Nathaniel set off for the yard with a smile on his face. The conversation with his _engineer_ did cheer him up and he clung to the hope of surviving.

On arriving at the yard, he coupled up to a long freight train that he should take to Youngstown. Then he pumped his pistons while waiting for the the order to leave. But the yard manager seemed to be distracted looking from side to side. "Can I go already, sir?" Nathaniel asked.

"Not yet, Nat, you'll have to wait a little. I was informed that a diesel will help you to pull this train."

"A DIESEL?! I can pull this train by myself! Why do they send me a disgusting diesel?!"

"Sorry, I don't know. But orders are orders and we must obey."

"But I don't need a _shoebox with a seal face_ to help me!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! _Shoebox with a seal face_! Good one!"

"DAMN THE DIESELS!"

All the joy that Nathaniel had felt was faded at this moment, giving place to anger. Despite having gotten along well with the diesels during his first years of life; he literally developed allergy to them as he noticed they were replacing steam engines.

A few minutes later, the diesel in question arrived. He was an EMD F7A model, with the number "4538" and wore the same royal blue livery as Caitlin. "Good morning there!" he exclaimed happily.

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "What does 'good' mean according to your dictionary?"

"Ooohh! The 679 is in a bad mood for a change. Looks like I'll have fun on this journey!"

Poor Nathaniel pressed his lips angrily. He hated being called by that number. As the diesel began to reverse to couple up to him, he thought the journey would be quite uncomfortable. Even so he decided to try to remain silent as long as possible, because he knew that arguing with his annoying workmate would only make things worse.

The first part of the journey went smoothly. But soon the diesel wanted to have fun by bothering Nathaniel. "Um... are you there?" he asked.

"Just behind you. Where else could I be?"

"Well, I thought you had fallen asleep, because I'm doing the entire job by myself."

"Don't make me laugh! For your information, I am the one who is pulling this train while you're a mere ornament in front of me."

"Ornament? Wow... I see you admit that we diesels are beautiful things."

"Oh, please! I just meant that you're useless! You all are simple square things without attractiveness. Trains pulled by diesels are only trains. They don't have the charm of the steam ones."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! What do you mean by 'charm'? You steamers look like grimy sewer pipes!"

"Say it again and I'll show you who the grimy one is!"

"But I already know who the grimy one is! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You'll regret having bothered me!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Who's afraid of a tiny jet of dirty steam?!"

Nathaniel was furious. He wanted to shout something else, but at this moment he felt the pats from his _engineer_. They were the 'encoded pats' that Mr. O'Mara had invented to warning him every time he was going too far during a verbal fight. So he just blew his whistle scandalously every time his workmate bothered him again.

As the unpleasant journey finally ended, the diesel was uncoupled from Nathaniel and this one was uncoupled from the train.

"Thank you a million for the funny ride, 679! I had never laughed so much."

"Shut up and move onto the other track. I'm sick of that smell of oil."

"Well, you'd better accept that the smell of oil is about to be _king of the_ _railroad_ , my dear 679. You steamers already lost your numbers. Now you'll all lose your jobs, and a little after; your lives."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Without thinking twice, Nathaniel rushed forward and hit the diesel. Luckily, he had controlled his strength enough as not to cause him damage. But even so, the diesel derailed and blocked the track where they were, and also the next-door track.

Traffic in the yard was immediately stopped.

And Nathaniel was immediately punished.

He was locked in an abandoned shed until the next day…

* * *

...

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading this far. I hope the plot of the story is being interesting to you. In the next chapter, Nathaniel will show both his weakest side and the bravest. But please give me two weeks to finish writing it, okay? :)

I've portrayed Caitlin as being streamlined when Nathaniel was born. In real life, Caitlin's basis was non-streamlined at the time that the EM-1s were built (1944/45). Her basis, the P-7 #5304 "President Monroe", was streamlined twice in its life. The first time was from 1937 to 1940 with a design classified as the P-7a and nicknamed "The Bullet" (this is the design that Caitlin wears on the TV series). The second time was from 1946 to 1957 with a different design classified as the P-7d.

The character of Austin came out of the blue as I was writing the chapter. Given that Nathaniel's brothers appear here, I was in need to give a name at least to one of them so that Nathaniel could interact with him, because I thought it would be unfair to call him just by his number. So, Austin appeared. And I chose that name due to its meaning, which suits the EM-1s perfectly: "Magnificent."

As for Mr. O'Mara, I've created him because I love to picture the affective bond between a driver and his engine. In fact, in real life the EM-1s were very much loved by their crews.

See you, my dears! :)


	2. Nothing Happens by Chance

**A/N:** Thanks for the good reception given to this story! You encourage me to continue. :)

Guest: Wow... thank you! You put a smile on my face.

Guest 4: Thank you for the nice comment, my friend. You're right that Caitlin is like a mother figure to Nathaniel. In fact, there's a strong bond between them and that's precisely the reason why Nathaniel is desperate to know if she forgave him.

This second chapter exposes the weakest side of Nathaniel and explains what was not seen in *AKAM*. As for his bravest side, I have said that it would appear here as well, but there was a little change of plans and you'll have to wait until the next chapter to see it. I apologize for that.

* * *

 _"A contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."_

Psalm 51:17

* * *

 **CHAPTER II**

 **NOTHING HAPPENS BY CHANCE**

* * *

 _"She loved you as a mother from the day you were born... and a mother always forgives."_ -Austin _  
_

* * *

The afternoon sun reflected on the engines that shared the dead storage. It would have been a nice sight, had it not been because sadness was the queen of this place.

 _"That shed full of cobwebs was so unpleasant..."_ Nathaniel thought while remembering the place where he fulfilled his punishment after the incident with the diesel. _"I was a complete idiot, but I couldn't avoid it… I felt very insulted… Even so, I shouldn't have hit that engine… That was bad... At least I had the courage to apologise to him the next morning, although he just laughed at me for a change…"_

Nathaniel closed his eyes. He could not believe he had behaved so badly that time, precisely after the heart-warming conversation he had with his _engineer_. Despite his constant verbal fights with the diesels, he had never hit anyone. Resentment was definitely his worst enemy.

But that was not the worst thing he did in his life…

* * *

Upon being released from his prison the morning after the incident, and having apologized to the diesel fruitlessly; Nathaniel returned quickly to Pittsburgh. There, he was received by his older brother. "Austin," called Nathaniel on seeing him, "please don't ask me for explanations… I don't feel good at all."

"Easy, I understand you." Austin smiled sadly. He already knew what had happened and felt pity for his younger brother.

Austin was now wearing his smoke-box embellished with light grey paint, and had his former #7600 over his pilot. This was because he was chosen to make fan trips as a farewell to the steam era.

"Let's talk about something else," said Austin, trying to cheer Nathaniel up. "I suppose you already know that Caitlin was saved from scrapping."

"Yes, Mr. O'Mara told me. It's a wonderful announcement."

"You're right. Well, she came yesterday afternoon to say goodbye and-"

"What?! Had it to be precisely yesterday?!"

"Calm down, Nat."

"How can I be calm?! I couldn't see her for the last time and it was just my fault!"

"Nat, please listen... she'll set off for New York tomorrow morning. You still can see her."

"Oh... thank goodness! But, did you tell her where I was and why?"

"Yes, I couldn't hide the truth from her. The poor thing wanted to go to see you, but her _engineer_ said they should return to Baltimore before dark, and going to Youngstown would have made them lose a lot of time. He couldn't promise her that they would return today either."

"Oh, no… And did you tell her that I would go to see her?"

"No, I didn't want to give her false hopes. I didn't know if you would have permission to go, nor if you would arrive on time."

Nathaniel sighed deeply. "What did she say... about me?"

"She said she'll never forget her big baby… and that she would have liked to see your smile for the last time… She was about to cry, so I gave her a kiss on the forehead on your behalf. Luckily, that made her felt a bit better."

"Oh, dear… I must get permission to go to Baltimore or I'll go crazy!"

"I think you can get it if you do your job well today. After all, everyone knows that you and Caitlin are very close friends."

Nathaniel smiled slightly. "You're right. I'll do my job as well as I can."

And so it was. Nathaniel got the permission and set off for Baltimore the next day very early in the morning.

But a doubt worried him as soon as he started his journey: what if he did not get to arrive on time? He was now even angrier about his incident with the diesel. _"If it weren't because of that beast, I would have been at home when Caitlin came to say goodbye!"_ he complained as he flew through the line faster than ever. _"I must arrive on time! I also want to give Caitlin a kiss!"_ At this moment, he remembered that Mr. O'Mara had said that kissing his wife's lips gives him happiness and makes him able to endure anything. So, the damned beast of temptation, who always attacks when its prey is particularly vulnerable, gave him an idea. _"Hey… how about kissing Caitlin's lips?"_ thought the poor EM-1. _"That will be as good for me as for her, since she'll also need some happiness to endure our farewell… If a kiss on the forehead already made her feel better; a kiss on the lips would make her feel even better."_

Nathaniel did not imagine how much he would regret having taken this decision. Unfortunately, at this moment he was too weak emotionally to discern, and that made him a perfect target for the beast of temptation.

As he arrived at Camden Station in Baltimore, he sighed with relief on seeing that Caitlin was still there. _"Thank heaven!"_ he thought and approached her.

Caitlin opened her eyes widely. "Nathaniel!" she exclaimed happily. "I can't believe you're here!"

"I wouldn't have been able to stay peacefully if I hadn't come," replied Nathaniel as he stopped a few feet from her. "I never thought this moment would come, Caitlin… The railroad will not be the same without you. I'll miss you."

Caitlin sighed. "I'll miss you too. You can't imagine how much it pains me this farewell, although I feel fortunate to have escaped the scrapper's torch."

"Yes. It's a pity that we've lost ground to the diesels... Some of my brothers have already been removed from service… and there are rumours that we'll all be scrapped."

"I would like to take you with me… I really mean that. If only we could decide our fate! I wish with all my heart that someone wants to take care of you so that you also have a long life."

"May the Heaven hear you. You know, it terrifies me to think that any dawn could be the last for me, but I've much hope in what my engineer told me."

"What did he say?"

"He said that names can be prophetic. He explained to me that my name means 'Gift from God' and that the greatest gift from Him is life. So I cling to those words and I believe I'll be saved from scrapping."

Caitlin raised her eyebrows. "Wow... I didn't know names could be prophetic… Oh, Nathaniel... I also have hope in that. Now I think I can go peacefully. But let me engrave your smile on my heart to take it as a souvenir, please?"

"Of course. Here it is."

Caitlin looked at Nathaniel with affection. "I can't understand why that doesn't figure among the Seven Wonders of the World."

"What thing?"

"Your smile."

"Ha! Ha! Don't exaggerate!"

The fondness between Caitlin and her _big baby_ was great. They spent the following minutes talking and laughing. And the conversation would have ended sweetly if it were not for the fact that the beast of temptation attacked Nathaniel again. "By the way, Caitlin," said the EM-1, "I also want to ask you for a souvenir."

"Tell me," Caitlin replied. Nathaniel moved a little closer to her and whispered his plan. "Let me... engrave your smile on my lips."

"What?"

"You can't imagine how much I want to kiss you…"

Caitlin gasped, wondering what his friend meant by that. The news that engines could feel romantic love had spread like wildfire after two engines from the _Norfolk and Western Railroad_ announced they fell in love with each other. But Caitlin did not imagine that Nathaniel could have a crush on her. "Nathaniel..." she said, "are you referring to a... kiss of love?"

"Love? Oh... well... not so much. We certainly are not in love. I'm just referring to a farewell kiss."

"Oh..." Caitlin got sad. She could not please Nathaniel's desire. During her last years of service by pulling the _Cincinnatian_ , Caitlin had met some female engines from the _N &W Railroad_ and made friends with them. One of those girls was just the one that had a 'boyfriend', and she had said a phrase that got Caitlin's attention: _"I never kiss anyone on the lips but my own boyfriend, because that kiss is something exclusive of those who are in love"_. So Caitlin decided to follow the example of her female friend. "I can kiss your cheeks if you want, Nathaniel," she said, "but a kiss on the lips is something exclusive of those who are in love... I'm sorry to say I'll not be able to please you."

Nathaniel did not understand why Caitlin refused something so inoffensive. He did not know the difference between a romantic love kiss and an innocent friends' souvenir. He just wanted something that would make him able to endure anything. But as much as he tried to make Caitlin understand that his proposal was good, she still refused to please him. And at the end, the only thing he achieved with his insistence was to make Caitlin lose patience...

"Come on, Caitlin. We are about to be separated forever... Someday you'll fall in love with someone and will give him that exclusive kiss. I just want a friends' souvenir. What is the problem?"

"I'm sorry... But I wish that my first exclusive kiss will be with the engine that wins my heart. It's something I've decided and I'll stick with it."

"Caitlin... that engine who will win your heart won't even know what happened here, unless you tell him."

"And what about me?! It's enough that I know what happened here to feel frustrated, don't you think?!"

"Hey... calm down... I think you're being a bit dramatic. I don't see the reason for you to be frustrated. It's just a farewell kiss."

"Stop it! You already made me angry! And since you don't want a kiss on the cheek, get away from me."

Nathaniel did not obey. He was not going to give up. He stared at Caitlin for a few seconds and then slowly advanced up to touch her skirt.

Caitlin got frightened. "I said... get away from me," she trembled.

"Of course I'll get away," whispered an unrecognisable Nathaniel, "after kissing those _sensual little lips_."

Caitlin gasped and did the only thing she could to get rid of him: to move back. But she had barely moved a few metres and bashed some coaches that were behind her... "Don't you dare!" she screamed as her friend closed the distance between them.

It was useless.

Nathaniel pressed his lips forcefully against hers.

They were just two seconds, but they were enough to shake the foundations of a close friendship and frustrate Caitlin's noble desire to keep the purity of her lips for the one who would win her romantic love.

As soon as the stolen kiss ended, Caitlin began to cry.

And Nathaniel's selfish desire disappeared as by magic. This was nothing strange, since the beast of temptation always abandons its prey as soon as it gets what it wanted, leaving the poor prey submerged in the sea of despair… "Oh, no..." said Nathaniel on seeing the disaster he had caused. This was not what he expected. "Caitlin... I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Get away! I thought you were my friend!" shouted Caitlin and cried even harder, showing all the pain and anger she was feeling.

"I am your friend..." Nathaniel was about to cry too. "It's just that... I-I don't know what happened to me... but I really didn't mean to hurt-"

"Get away!"

Nathaniel waited a few minutes in the hope that Caitlin would hear him, but she just insisted on getting him away from her. Caitlin was not in a position to accept apologises at this moment. Then, unable to see her crying anymore, Nathaniel obeyed. "Okay... I understand," he whispered and started backing away, "goodbye, Caitlin." Then he added in tears, although Caitlin could no longer hear him: "I hope... that someday you'll forgive me."

Nathaniel left the station crestfallen, feeling for the first time in his life the torture of remorse. _"This can't be happening..."_ he thought sadly, _"I thought it would be good for both of us... but at the end neither of us enjoyed it! Caitlin was right... that kiss is just for those who are in love... Oh, my Gosh... now I feel worse than ever!"_

Nathaniel could barely move his wheels. The weight of his fault acted as a brake.

Mr. O'Mara did not know what happened. He had not heard the conversation between the two engines because he was talking with his crewmates, but now he noticed that something was wrong with Nathaniel. "Nat?" he called. "Are you okay?"

"N-no, sir..." Nathaniel felt miserable, "I... I have just betrayed Caitlin."

"Uh? I don't understand... What have you done?"

"I... kissed her lips in the hope of feeling some happiness." Mr. O'Mara gasped on hearing that. "She tried to stop me..." continued Nathaniel, "but I couldn't contain myself... I didn't consider her feelings... I'm a disaster!"

"Oh, no… I-I'm sorry, Nat! This is my fault! I didn't think it would be necessary to explain to you... but... that kiss only gives happiness to those who are in love... I'm sorry for not having told you."

"Don't blame yourself, sir... you have nothing to do with this. Caitlin explained to me that that kiss is exclusive of those who are in love, but I didn't want to hear her. So this is just my fault. Please don't feel bad, sir."

"Oh, boy..."

The journey back to Pittsburgh was the most painful in Nathaniel's life. He felt angry at himself for what he had just done. But it was too late to fix the situation and that made him feel even worse. He was desperate to get home and find some consolation in Austin.

But when he got home and told his brother what happened, the reaction from this one made his firebox freeze.

"What have you done, you fool?!" screamed Austin. "I said to you to be kind to her! But you disrespected her feelings! And now you cry because she didn't want to hear your apologies?! Oh, you fool! Why did you do that?! Wasn't it enough for you having hit a diesel to feel satisfied?! Did you have to hurt Caitlin as well?! I wish you had derailed instead of going to meet up with her!"

Nathaniel felt the world crashed down on him. He did not know what to respond. He just looked down in shame and went to do his job, keeping himself away from Austin for the rest of the day. And at nightfall, he asked his _engineer_ to leave him in a siding in order to cry alone. Mr. O'Mara did not like this idea, but he decided to respect his desire. Then, as Nathaniel was alone in the siding, he broke into tears. _"I'll never forgive myself!"_ he thought.

About a half an hour had passed when Nathaniel noticed that an engine was approaching. He slowly opened his eyes and saw his older brother in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Nat," whispered Austin with a pleading look, "I shouldn't have shouted at you."

"You... did it… well."

"No, I did it wrong... and I'm really sorry."

Austin was ashamed of having shouted at Nathaniel. Being the oldest and wisest of the EM-1s, he was always as a leader for his brothers. He even used to give them a well-deserved reprimand when they made some silly mistake. But he had never lost control like today. That made him understand that anyone could lose control in a moment of weakness or anger, and so he realised he could not judge Nathaniel for what he did. That is the 'advantage' of making mistakes; they teach us to understand others instead of judge them, for they make us realize that we are not better than anyone…

"I'm here for you," said Austin while approaching his brother a little more. "Say all what you need to vent... I won't judge you, nor minimize your feelings… I'll just listen to you."

Nathaniel was surprised by this change of attitude from his brother. But he needed to vent to someone and he noticed that Austin was speaking sincerely. So, he opened his heart to him with confidence. "I was... an idiot," he said through tears, being barely able to speak, "I thought that that kiss would be good for her and me… but I was wrong… Caitlin wanted to stop me… and I didn't hear her… I didn't consider her feelings… She moved backwards to get rid of me… but she hit some coaches... that were behind her... So, I took advantage of that and…" Nathaniel closed his eyes and cried again. The weight of his fault was unbearable. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt her!" he exclaimed.

Nathaniel thought that nothing could comfort him after all. But then, a little miracle occurred. He felt something soft and warm on both sides of his pilot; something that gently moved upward until surround his boiler just behind his smoke-box... He could not believe it… This soft, warm thing was his brother's steam... Austin was hugging him...

Austin did not say anything; he only enfolded his brother in his 'arms' tenderly… He was doing the best thing that can be done when someone cries; remaining silent and allowing a hug to speak by itself… Words do not always give consolation; but a hug speaks straight to the heart and comforts it immediately… And Nathaniel could feel it.

Little by little, Nathaniel stopped crying. His agitated breathing calmed while he relaxed into his brother's embrace, and then he could continue to speak. "She got angry with me..." he lamented softly as he opened his eyes, "I wanted to apologise… but she kept insisting that I get away from her... At the end I had to obey... because my presence annoyed her... I can't believe I made her cry…" Tears rolled down Nathaniel's cheeks again. "I'm so sad, Austin… I'm sure she's hating me right now... and I won't be able to fix this anymore."

Austin did not want to imagine how sad his brother was. He realized that Nathaniel had not acted with bad intent, but unfortunately, the harm was already done. He remained silent some time else, just hugging his brother while he thought what to say. Then he spoke. "I'm really sorry this happened to you, Nat," he whispered. "I can see you have reason enough to feel sad... But you know Caitlin… you know that she would never hate you… You're her baby… her beloved baby… Maybe she's angry with you right now, but soon she'll forgive you... You can be sure of that… She loved you as a mother from the day you were born... and a mother always forgives… Trust me… She'll forgive you."

Those words were like a balm for Nathaniel's heart and he could feel a bit better. But something else was hurting him. "I think you're right..." he said, "but even so... there's still something I can no longer be able to fix... Caitlin wished that her first kiss would be with the engine that will win her heart… but I've frustrated that wish of hers… and the day she'll fall in love; she'll remember it… That's what despairs me the most… Remorse will kill me."

Austin looked into Nathaniel's eyes, feeling a deep compassion for him. "Don't despair, Nat," he soothed, "don't despair… You can't remove the frustration from Caitlin's heart by yourself, but the Lord can… The Lord can do what we can't… Just pray for Caitlin... Ask the Lord that she may fall in love with someone who loves and respects her; someone that can give her a heart-warming kiss of true love... The Lord will listen to you, because He never despises a repentant heart… Besides, they say that nothing happens by chance... The Lord can use our sufferings in order to do wonderful things."

Nathaniel was surprised. He was sure that Heaven have put those comforting, wise words on Austin's lips. He could even be sure that the Lord was already using his suffering to do something wonderful, because this was the first time that Austin hugged him like this… It was the first time he received such a demonstration of affection from his brother… "Your words give me hope, Austin," said Nathaniel, smiling sweetly, "I'll follow your advice... I'll pray for Caitlin, so that Heaven may comfort her and give her a nice journey to her new home... and so that she can find the love of her life."

Austin smiled. "That's the best thing you can do for her," he said, "and I'm sure she'll pray for you as well… Do you feel better now?"

"Yes. I think I'll be able to overcome all this."

"Glad to hear that. I really want to see you happy again." At this moment, Austin's embrace began to dissipate. "Well, I would like we could keep talking, Nat, but it's too late. Let's go home."

"No, wait a minute..."

"Yes?"

"Could you... hug me a little more… please?"

"Oh…" Austin's gaze was filled with tenderness. "As soon as we get home I'll hug you again… and I won't stop until you fall asleep. I promise."

Nathaniel smiled. "Okay, let's go then. But I don't have steam..."

"No problem. I'll gladly carry you."

Austin closed the distance between them and their powerful couplers joined automatically.

"Thank you, Austin…" whispered Nathaniel, "thanks for being my brother and for comforting me."

"I feel blessed to be your brother," responded Austin sweetly as he began to pull him.

Once at home, Nathaniel made his prayer for Caitlin. And then he fell asleep, enfolded in Austin's warm brotherly embrace...


	3. Until The Last Breath

**A/N:** Thanks for the comments! :) This chapter has a very sad part, but there are some nice surprises as well. At last Nathaniel receives news about Caitlin and then he has a powerful conversation with his older brother. The "annoying diesel" he had hit gets a name here to make things easier, and I added the specification of his model in the first chapter.

Guest 4: Thank you, my friend! Austin will reveal to Nathaniel the reason why he acted like a fool. :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER III**

 **UNTIL THE LAST BREATH**

* * *

 _"_ _This is not the end yet... While there's life, there is hope."_ – Mr. O'Mara

* * *

 _"Austin…"_ thought Nathaniel, back in the present, _"I wouldn't have been able to sleep that night had it not been because you comforted me… What you did is priceless... I miss you, my brother... I miss you... But I'm glad to know that you're okay now..."_

The night had already left the storage yard in the dark, and Nathaniel missed his brother's company. Austin had been his boiler to cry on and he always had a word of consolation for him every time he was sad.

Thanks to Austin's help, Nathaniel could overcome his sorrow in a way during the weeks following Caitlin's departure. He even abandoned the verbal fights with the diesels, despite the fact that they teased him much more now because of his ' _failed kiss'._ He simply concentrated on doing his job well, which kept him calm. But Christmas soon came, and sadness returned to his heart. Nathaniel used to sing carols together with Caitlin while they gazed at the amazing Christmas lights of Cumberland. This was something that they repeated every year since Nathaniel's first Christmas, in which Caitlin had taught him to sing 'O Holy Night'...

 _"Wow… that song is so beautiful, Caitlin… It says wonderful things about the Lord."_

 _"You're right, my baby. Would you like to learn to sing it?"_

 _"Oh… yes! Please teach me."_

Remembering those Christmases was so hard for Nathaniel that he spent the day in his shed, wondering how Caitlin would be at that moment in her new home and if she had already forgiven him. And soon after, another day that reminded him of her had come: the Valentine's Day. Some years before, Nathaniel had found Caitlin in a station enjoying her favourite love song, which a man was singing to a woman. Caitlin had her eyes closed and a smile on her lips, and as the song ended, she sighed deeply.

 _"I see you like that song, Caitlin. Does it have a special meaning for you?"_

 _"Oh, Nathaniel... it's my favorite love song. It's called 'With a song in my heart' and talks about true love... I imagine that if one day I fall in love and my boyfriend dedicates it to me, I would shed tears of happiness."_

 _"Really? Do you want to fall in love?"_

 _"Hee! Hee! Well... yes. My female friends from the N &W said to me that being in love is wonderful."_

The memory of those sweet moments with Caitlin was no source of joy for Nathaniel, but they only increased the pain of remorse. He understood now how important it is to have a clear conscience to wait for the destiny calmly. But incredibly, soon the remorse got the best out of him on giving him courage to do something that no engine had ever done.

Nathaniel took the most noble and brave decision of his life.

And nothing could stop him from doing it…

* * *

The EM-1s were gathered in the yard. Despite being spring, this was a very cold morning for them. They looked at each other with surprise, trying to assimilate the news. They already knew that this day would arrive at any time and they were prepared to it. But this time it was different, because this time it was real. They had just learned that their retired brothers received their death sentence, and that the first would be scrapped the following day in Butler, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Everyone was silent. No one dared to say nothing.

But funnily enough, Nathaniel did not look so affected. He had his eyes closed and was breathing calmly. Austin thought that after all this time of being sad, Nathaniel was no longer able to feel more sadness. And to some extent he was right.

But actually, Nathaniel was thinking of his unfortunate brothers. He was sure he still could do something to help them in spite that hope of salvation was already ended. So, he opened his eyes and courageously told his decision.

"I'll accompany our brothers during their scrapping."

That was like a bombshell. Everyone looked at Nathaniel open-mouthed, hardly believing what he just said.

"Why do you want to do that?" asked Austin, moving himself closer. "Being scrapped is… terrible."

"That's precisely the reason why I want to do this, Austin. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I abandon my brothers just at the worst moment of their lives. I want to be in front of them to comfort them and be sure that they'll be calm and happy until the last breath."

"Oh, my goodness... That sounds very noble, but I insist on being scrapped is terrible. You won't be able to endure that. Besides, I don't think someone can be happy at that moment."

"I didn't think so either, but I trust my _engineer's_ words. He said that if we were accompanied by someone we love, we could be happy in our last hours. And… I suppose you all love me, don't you?"

"What are you saying, Nat?" asked one of his brothers.

"Of course we all love you!" added another one.

"But still so," said Austin, "I'm sorry to say I won't support your decision… Even I'm sure that our unfortunate brothers wouldn't want you to see that scene either."

"Austin… wouldn't you want to be comforted when your turn comes?"

Austin was touched. "Of course yes... But at the same time, I wouldn't like you to have nightmares about that later."

"I get it. But I won't mind if I have nightmares later, because in fact we'll all soon pass away. I really want to do this for our brothers, but I need the support from you all. I need you to replace me while I go to Butler. I wouldn't like to be punished for not doing my job."

Austin sighed deeply. He did not know what else to say to stop Nathaniel from doing something that would leave him traumatized. But at that moment he saw Mr. O'Mara approaching and he thought he could help him.

"I'm sorry for meddling, Nat," said Mr. O'Mara, "but I think it's not convenient for you to do that."

"Don't you support me, sir? Not even you?"

"I would support you if it wasn't something so terrible. I know I've told you that being accompanied by someone we love could give us happiness in the last hours. But there's a thing… it's not the same to be scrapped as to be in a comfortable hospital bed taking the hand of a beloved one."

Nathaniel did not expect those words. He got disappointed, feeling as if his confidence was struck by lightning. "Then… did you say that just to make me feel good, sir?" he asked, sadly. "I trusted you… But now I feel I was deceived… although I think I deserved it after all..."

Mr. O'Mara found himself between the hammer and the anvil. He could feel the gaze of all the EM-1s over him, waiting for his response. So he quickly thought how to fix what he said. "No… I didn't lie to you, Nat," he affirmed. "It's just that, as Austin said, I wouldn't like you to have nightmares later…"

"Sir, if I can do something to help my brothers and I don't do it, then I'll have nightmares… I already know what remorse feels like and I don't want another reason to increase it, because that way my own scrapping will be the worst of all nightmares."

Mr. O'Mara gulped. Now he thought it was no way out. "All right, boy," he responded, putting a hand on Nathaniel's pilot. "If accompanying your brothers will give a bit of relief to your heart, then I can't stop you… I'll take you to Butler tomorrow, as long as someone does our job."

Nathaniel smiled. "Thank you, sir!" he exclaimed. Then he looked at his older brother. "Please, Austin… let me do this… You have said that the Lord can use our sufferings in order to do wonderful things..."

Now it was Austin's turn to think it was no way out. He could not refute the words he himself had said. He looked deeply into his brother's eyes for a while, and then he swallowed hard to respond. "I'm proud of you, Nat… I don't think there is another engine as brave as you… I totally support your decision. I'll do your job tomorrow."

"We all support you, Nat," added another EM-1. "We'll all do your job."

"Thank you! You don't imagine how important your support is for me. I promise I'll accompany each one of you until my turn comes... All of you were my joy... my life... I want to be with you until the last moment... And Austin, my brother, please don't worry about me... Perhaps the Lord won't allow the nightmares to torment me after all."

Austin smiled, struggling against the lump that had formed in his throat. As far as he knew Nathaniel, he was not impressed by how he was determined to do that heroic act. "Nat…" he said between tears, "if you were scrapped before me… I…I'll accompany you..." His voice broke and he could not continue.

Nathaniel looked at him sweetly. "That will be a whole blessing, Austin… Thank you."

All the EM-1s were in tears. Everyone was impressed by the courage of Nathaniel. Even some diesels who were nearby and had heard the conversation…

The next day, early in the morning, Nathaniel set off for Butler, determined to help his brothers. But when he got there; seeing the rows of sad locomotives awaiting their encounter with the scraper's torch was so disheartening that he feared his courage would turn into smoke.

A workman showed him the place where the first of the EM-1 to be scrapped was. So, very gently, he began to move the engines that were in front of his brother, while giving them some words of comfort. As soon as he could get close to his brother, this one stood open-mouthed.

"N-nat? W-what are you ... doing here?"

Nathaniel just smiled tenderly as he automatically coupled up to him. Then, he delicately touched his brother's forehead with his own and both of them closed their eyes. "I've come to accompany you," whispered Nathaniel, "because I didn't want you to face this alone… I want to help you be calm and relaxed... so that you won't suffer… I'll stay here with you, until you have gone."

"O-oh..." his brother could barely speak because of the emotion, "I-I was praying to Heaven... to help me endure this... and you... you appeared... You're a gift from God, Nat…"

Nathaniel trembled before those words. Perhaps that was the reason of his name. Perhaps this was the great mission entrusted to him by Heaven. His courage was strengthened, and he felt blessed to have been chosen for this noble task.

Nathaniel's brother was happy. He smiled while hearing the heart-warming words that Nathaniel whispered to him. And as the torch began its job, he only felt the little discomforts that locomotives experience when they undergo through a repair. Love was working that miracle.

"I can't believe this, Nat… you are my strength… Thanks for being here..."

"I'm happy to help you… Do you want to hear a song?"

"Yes… please."

Nathaniel sang some songs to his brother, while remaining strongly coupled up to him. His courage and tenderness managed to turn a terrible moment into a touching encounter, by avoiding any pain or despair. The process was long, but he never tired of comforting his brother. And near the sunset, his brother finally felt weak.

"Nat…"

"Yes?"

"I'm… too sleepy…"

"Sleep, my brother… sleep easy… You'll sleep in Lady's arms… and she'll take you to a beautiful place."

"Then… can I… go already?"

"Of course… Everything is alright… You can go."

"T-thank you… I… I love you…"

"I love you too… I love you with all my heart… Sleep easy…"

Some minutes later, the EM-1 slept peacefully as Nathaniel hummed him a song. And Lady took his soul lovingly into her arms to carry him to the _Railroad of the Clouds_ , the wonderful place in which the engines are going to rest happily ever after.

On noticing that his brother had gone, Nathaniel looked up at the sky and felt an indescribable peace within. _"See you soon,"_ he thought, smiling through tears as he saw particles of golden dust floated in the air. And when the particles disappeared, he closed his eyes. _"Thank you for giving me the courage to do this, my Lord... Thank you…"_ Then he moved backward and left the yard, but not without first promising his other retired brothers that he would come to accompany them as well. All the engines in the yard were impressed by what he did.

At evening, in Pittsburgh, the EM-1s were at their sheds waiting for Nathaniel and wondering if he had been able to endure what he saw. They were concerned about him, because they thought he would be very affected. But their concern turned into a pleasant surprise on seeing that Nathaniel was arriving with a big smile on his face.

"He didn't suffer," said Nathaniel as soon as he climbed onto the turntable. "He was calm all the time, and then he fell asleep like a baby. I feel very good for having accompanied him."

Everyone smiled with relief. "Hurray for Nat!" exclaimed Austin, and all of them blew their whistles, making the roof of the sheds shake. They were all proud of Nathaniel, and they were happy to know that their scrapped brother had not suffered.

Nathaniel did not have any nightmare that night. On the contrary, he had a nice dream in which he saw his brother puffing happily through the golden tracks of the _Railroad of the Clouds,_ with a steam as white as the snow, and a new paint that was now as blue as the sky and as bright as the sun…

The following days, Nathaniel went to Butler again to accompany his other retired brothers. And a few months after, more of the EM-1s were removed from service.

Whit the railroad totally dieselized, the decision had been made to no longer allocate money for the repair of steam engines. Locomotives that needed maintenance were simply removed from service and sent to the scrapping later. That was how the EM-1s and other classes of engines met their end. So, Nathaniel spent the following two years accompanying each of his brothers in their last hours, until only Austin and he remained. One of them would be the next one to go; one of them would face the scrapping alone.

And it was obvious that Austin would be the next one to go, since he was already in need of maintenance. He no longer made rail-fan trips and all what he could do was to be Nathaniel's back engine. Being the first of the EM-1s, he was fortunate to have been in service more time than the others.

Despite having had the courage to face the death of his beloved ones, it was hard for Nathaniel to accept the idea of saying goodbye to Austin. He was sure he would not be able to endure the scrapping of his older brother and spending his last days without him. Austin tried to encourage him by telling that soon they would be together again with all of their brothers on the _Railroad of the Clouds_ , but that was not enough to remove the fear that Nathaniel felt for his own death. There was still something that stole his inner peace: the sting of remorse was still nailed in his heart... Nathaniel would not have a clear conscience until knowing if Caitlin forgave him. The time was not able to erase the memory of his fault, and the distance was not able to break the bond of maternal-filial love that connected him to her.

On arriving the third Valentine's Day since Caitlin's departure, Nathaniel prayed again for her so that she can find the love of her life. And this time, he would have the pleasure to see the result of his prayer. The time had come to receive the gifts that Heaven had prepared for him…

One cold morning, a few days after Valentine's Day, Nathaniel and Austin were getting ready to work. But something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Austin?" asked Nathaniel. "Your boiler should've been already bubbling."

"Yes… Well, I didn't want to say this, but... I'm afraid I won't be able to work anymore."

"No… NO! Don't tell me that."

"I'm sorry, Nat, we knew this day would arrive… Many parts of my machine are worn out, and now there are problems with my feed-water heater. I can't continue."

"Oh, my Gosh… Austin, if they come to carry you to the dead storage during my absence, please say to them that I'll take care of that. I don't want a damned diesel to couple up to you!"

"Okay. Don't worry."

Nathaniel sighed and looked down. He felt very sad, but he had to accept the reality. His brother had already been feeling discomfort and even pain the last days due to the lack of maintenance.

Soon Mr. O'Mara arrived. He had a newspaper in his hands. "Good morning, gentlemen!" he greeted.

"Good morning, sir!"

"Austin, I've something to show you."

"Oh… Go ahead, sir."

Mr. O'Mara lifted the newspaper for Austin to see. "Do you think Nat will like this?" he added, winking. Austin looked at the newspaper for a while, and then his jaw dropped. "Stunning steep climbs!" he exclaimed. "Nat are going to explode!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"What is it, sir?" asked Nathaniel eagerly. "I want to see that!"

"Calm down, son. Here I go." Mr. O'Mara approached his engine and climbed onto his pilot. "Look. What do you say?"

Nathaniel saw a large title on the front page of the newspaper. The title read as follows:

 _"One locomotive dedicated a love song to his girlfriend at the Great Valentine's Concert on the Island of Sodor."_

Underneath the title there was a photo, which showed two smiling engines. One of those engines, the female one, had a quite familiar face. Nathaniel gasped on recognizing her. "CAITLIN?! Is that her?!"

"She herself, boy. Our Caitlin, the sweetness on wheels."

"The rare beauty!" added Austin with a big smile. "She has a boyfriend!"

Nathaniel felt he was going to faint. He pressed his eyelids and blew his whistle louder than ever, making his _engineer_ almost lose his balance. Austin laughed heartily.

"This is just incredible!" exclaimed Nathaniel. "Sir… where's that such Island of Sodor? A-and who's Caitlin's boyfriend? And what's the song he dedicated to her? I'm dying to know everything!"

"I'll tell you everything if you promise me you won't make me fall off your pilot this time."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I promise, sir!"

"Okay. The Island of Sodor is located in the Irish Sea and is connected to the North West coast of England by a railroad bridge. They say it's the sanctuary of steam engines. Caitlin's boyfriend lives there. He's a Pacific type locomotive named Gordon. He was designed by the famous British engineer Sir Nigel Gresley, who is also the father of The Flying Scotsman and Mallard."

"Wow! A royal family! And Gordon has his own queen now."

"There is no doubt that Caitlin is a queen for him. Look what he gave to her."

Nathaniel looked at the photo again. Only now he noticed that Caitlin had a beautiful bouquet of flowers tied with a ribbon on her handrail. "She looks like a bride on the altar with those flowers… What a sweet detail from Gordon…"

"You're right. You know; the event was broadcasted on TV last night."

"Oh, my!"

"I wish you had seen it with your own eyes, Nat. It was very touching how Gordon looked at Caitlin. There was pure tenderness on his gaze."

"Woow… And how it was the moment of the dedicatory, sir? Did Gordon speak into a microphone?"

"No, the master of ceremony spoke on his behalf. I'm going to read it for you." Mr. O'Mara opened the newspaper on the page where the information about the concert was. "This is what he said: _'Before announcing the last musical theme; let me say that one engine wants to dedicate this love song to his girlfriend.'_ At that moment, the camera pointed to Gordon and Caitlin. Then the master of ceremony continued by saying: _'Caitlin; Gordon wishes everyone to know that you're the love of his life, and he wants to dedicate to you a song that sums up wonderfully what he feels for you. So, for you, Smiling Shooting Star, this work by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart is dedicated, 'With a song in my heart'."_

Nathaniel opened his eyes widely. "Caitlin's favorite love song! Oh, my precious Caitlin! I can imagine how happy she felt, sir. She had told me that if someday she fell in love and her boyfriend dedicated that song to her, she would shed tears of happiness."

"And she did it, Nat. She shed tears during the song. My wife and I could not help but get excited too. Besides, there was something else that made the moment even more exciting." Mr. O'Mara showed Nathaniel another photo from the event. "Look at this; the master of ceremony danced with his wife! It seemed to be a fairy-tale scene."

"Oh, dear... They look like a very in love couple..."

"I can assure they are a very in love couple, because I know them. This boy is named Gabriel Sand, and his wife is my second cousin Sophia O'Mara."

"Uh? How is that, sir?"

"My grandfather, who came from Ireland past century, was Sophia's grandfather's brother." Mr. O'Mara smiled. "I would never have imagined that I would see a relative on TV. This world is really small! Ha! Ha!"

"Oh..." Nathaniel laughed too. "Sir, this makes me curious… How do they show these events on TV?"

"Well, when an event is filmed, the images are recorded on a video tape located inside the camera. Then, on a TV station, they use special machines to play the tape, and people receive the signal in their homes through the TV antennas."

"That sounds like magic! Oh, and those people who film us and don't work on TV, how do they see what they filmed?"

"They use small cinema projectors to see it in their homes."

"Wow... It's just impressive! Thank you for having told me about that concert, sir. I'm happy to know that Caitlin has a boyfriend that loves her immensely. By the way, could you keep the newspaper? I would like to see that photo of Caitlin many more times."

"Of course, boy. I'll keep this newspaper as a treasure for you. I'm also happy for our Caitlin. Well, it's time to work. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Yes, sir!"

Mr. O'Mara came down from Nathaniel's pilot. But something got his attention at this moment. "Um… Austin, don't you have steam yet?"

"No, sir," responded Austin. "Actually, I can no longer work."

"Oh, no… I'm so sorry, boy... I didn't notice that…"

"It's all right, sir, we were prepared for this. Please don't feel sad for me. Seeing my brother happy was all I wanted before I go."

"O-okay then…" Mr. O'Mara looked affectionately at Austin as he caressed his pilot. Then he went to climb into Nathaniel's cab.

"I wish my happiness would have been complete, Austin," said Nathaniel.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... that someone save you."

"Oh, Nat... Enjoy this moment and let the Lord decide things. Show the Lord your smile of gratitude. He deserves your happiness for having made this revelation to you, don't you think?"

"Oh... you're right. I'll show Him my smile all day long."

"Well said, my brother! Have a good day."

"Thank you, Austin. See you later." Nathaniel pumped his pistons and left the sheds.

Austin closed his eyes. _"Thank you for answering the prayer of my brother, my Lord,"_ he thought. _"Now, I just need one thing... please give me strength... I'm a little scared..."_

Poor Austin did not imagine that his fright would not last long.

Nathaniel spent the day smiling, with the image of Caitlin rolling around in his mind. _"She's happy..."_ he thought, _"she's loved! Oh, my mommy... what did you feel when you heard 'Gordon wishes everyone to know that you're the love of his life'? That was so sweet!"_

But at the same time, Nathaniel also thought of Austin. He could not help feeling pity for his older brother. He wanted the hours to pass quickly in order to return home and give him some warmth, since the day was very cold. Nathaniel knew that, with so many worn parts and his firebox off, Austin could not generate warmth by himself.

As evening fell, Nathaniel quickly returned to the sheds. He went straight to place himself in front of Austin and hugged him with his steam.

Austin smiled. "T-thank you, Nat," he whispered, trembling a little. "I-I was eagerly waiting for you."

"And I was eager to get back. I knew you were feeling cold... I'll be right here the entire night to keep you warm."

Austin gazed caringly at his brother as he warmed up thanks to his embrace. "I felt very cold indeed," he said, "but there was something else... I wanted to give you news."

"Oh... well, I'm all ears."

"Do you remember that I told you about a man from Columbus who used to say he was a huge fan of mine?"

"Yes; that loyal passenger of yours when you made rail-fan trips."

"Exactly. He came to see me in the afternoon." Austin smiled widely. "He bought me."

It took Nathaniel some seconds to react. "W-what?"

"He bought me... I was saved, Nat... I won't be scrapped!"

"Oh, my goodness... This deserves a celebration!" Nathaniel blew his whistle.

The noise caused the anger of the diesels who had just arrived at the sheds, but Austin did not want to stop his brother. He knew it was good that Nathaniel release his emotions.

"I can't believe it!" said Nathaniel after calming down. "How was that?"

"Your whistle?"

"No... the purchase."

"Ah!"

They both laughed.

"Well, the man said he negotiated with the heads of the _railroad_ a few weeks ago," explained Austin, "and he asked them to let him know when I was removed from service. He got permission from them for me to make trips between Columbus and Cincinnati. I'll continue being part of this _railroad_ , but he'll take care of my maintenance. He wants me to go to the Works tomorrow."

"Oh, Austin... I'm happy for you! I thought I would have to take you to the dead storage in the next few days... but you were saved! This is a blessing… And I dare say that this renews my hope of being saved too."

"I'm sure you'll be saved, Nat. You know, I told my new owner about you. He'll talk to his business colleagues to see if anyone is interested in buying you. He can't promise anything, but he said you have the advantage that you're still in good condition, which increases your chances of being bought."

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. "Wow… First I find out that my mommy has a happy life; then one person saves you; and now there are chances for me to be saved as well... These are too much good news in a single day!"

"You're right; too much blessings in a single day. Let's enjoy this moment! But enter in your shed now. I'm no longer feeling cold."

"No," Nathaniel coupled up to his brother, "I want to spend the night like this."

"Then it'll be you who feels cold…"

"I don't care. Maybe this will be the last night we share together… Please allow me to stay like this…"

Austin got filled with tenderness. How could he deny this wish to his beloved brother? "Push me," he said without thinking twice, "there are still some meters behind me. At least your smoke-box will stay under the roof."

"Yes!" Nathaniel smiled sweetly. He stopped letting off steam and gently pushed Austin up to the back of the shed. As he stopped, Mr. O'Mara got out of his cab and ran towards Austin. "I'm happy for you, boy!" he exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, sir!" replied Austin.

"By the way, don't worry about Nat. We'll cover him with tarpaulins to protect him from frost."

"Oh... Good idea, sir."

"Well, goodnight to you both!"

"Goodnight, sir!"

It was an arduous task to cover Nathaniel's tender and boiler with the tarpaulins. But Mr. O'Mara was always willing to do whatever was within his reach for the well-being of his engine. He did not want to deny Nathaniel this last opportunity of being face to face with his brother.

"Do you think you'll be okay?" asked Austin.

"Yes. Those tarpaulins will keep me warm." Nathaniel relaxed completely. This had been a day full of emotions. "I cling to the hope of being saved, Austin," he said afterward, "but still so, I think we must be prepared for the case it doesn't happen... So, if possible, I would like you to accompany me... um... you know when."

"Oh… of course, I didn't forget my promise. Besides, after what you did for our brothers, it would be very cruel of me to abandon you at that moment. I'll stay with you until your last breath."

Nathaniel smiled. "Thank you, Austin. Now I only need one thing to wait for death calmly; to know if Caitlin forgave me."

Austin opened his eyes widely. "Nat… don't tell me you still think Caitlin didn't forgive you..." Nathaniel did not respond. He just looked down. "Oh, you little silly!" continued Austin. "She has a boyfriend who loves her as she deserves... She's happy as a child on Christmas Day... I bet she doesn't even remember what you did to her. Why don't you forget that issue too?"

"It's easy for you to say so because you are not me," Nathaniel looked up again. "You have respectfully said goodbye to her. But I, the last thing I remember from her it's that she was crying disconsolately as she yelled at me to get away... How do you think I could forget that?"

"O-okay... I... I understand." Austin sighed deeply. "I must tell you something, Nat... If you want to be forgiven; you must forgive others… Your heart must be free from rancor… I think your problem is precisely the great rancor against the diesels you keep in your heart."

Nathaniel frowned. "They have put an end to the steam age!"

"No... The steam age ended because technology advances and the world is constantly changing. The diesels didn't ask to be built; people decided it. They depend totally on the decisions of people like any other machine. And who knows, perhaps one day they'll also lose ground to another type of locomotive… Look at them, Nat…"

"I don't want to look at those shoeboxes with seal faces! Our brothers should've been in those berths!"

"Do you see? Rancor doesn't allow you to think properly. It killed that sweet baby you were someday. It stole the peace of your heart, giving way to bad moods and sadness. And as a result, you started making mistakes... until Caitlin herself became your victim."

Nathaniel almost stopped breathing. Austin's words opened his eyes. He would never have imagined that resentment could make him fall that low. Now he thought it was well-deserved that Caitlin did not want to hear his apologies. But the resentment he had in his heart had become strong over time and it would be hard to get rid of it from one second to the next.

"Look at them…" insisted Austin. "Try to give them a little place in your heart…" He saw that Nathaniel was still refusing to obey, so he added some words that turned out to be an irrefutable truth. "You know, Nat… I am pretty sure that the Lord is waiting for you to get rid of the rancor in order to reveal to you if Caitlin forgave you."

Now Nathaniel shook like a leaf in the wind. This revelation from Austin gave his resentment such a hard blow that he did not refuse to obey this time. So he slowly directed his gaze towards the diesels who were in the berths that had once belonged to the EM-1s. He could not deny it was nice to see them sleeping so peacefully. He noticed that those 'square things' were as vulnerable as any other machine. They were not to blame for being built. They were not to blame for not having the inexplicable charm of steam engines either… Nathaniel looked at them for a while, and then he looked at Austin again. "You're right..." he whispered in embarrassment, "rancor destroyed me... and I became a stranger even to myself… I remember that our brothers said to me 'that's not you'…"

Austin smiled slightly, gladly noticing that at last his brother was thinking properly.

"Diesels didn't decide anything indeed," continued Nathaniel, "but… why did people decide to scrap our brothers?"

"Because it was the very best for them," responded Austin. "It would have been sad to leave them alive just to get rusty in a dead storage for the rest of their days... It would also have been sad for them to be bought just to remain locked in their sheds because no _railroad_ authorizes to use its tracks."

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. "Wow… I didn't think so… Certainly none of that would have been fair for our brothers… But they are now in a heavenly place, full of happiness, light and beauty… That's better."

"Yes, that's better. Besides, they had a calm death thanks to your company... I still can't believe how brave you were, Nat... I admire you."

"Oh…" Nathaniel blushed, "I think it was the only good thing I've done in these years… Austin; thanks for opening my eyes. This conversation was another of the blessings that the Lord sent me today... I really want to get rid of the rancor."

"And you'll get it. I can see in your eyes that Caitlin's sweet baby is still alive inside you." Austin looked tenderly at his brother and delicately pressed his forehead against his. "I love you, little brother," he whispered.

Nathaniel was touched. "I love you too," was his sincere response.

It was late at night. And the two brothers soon fell asleep.

At dawn, Nathaniel took Austin to the Works. Austin went through a general maintenance. They changed all their worn parts and lubricated him completely, and now he no longer felt discomfort or pain. In a few days he was like new, looking splendid with his new paint coat and ready to be a really useful engine again. As he got out of the Works, Nathaniel was waiting for him outside. "Well, how do I look?" asked Austin happily.

Nathaniel smiled at him fondly. Just like it happens with many human children, Nathaniel used to see his older brother as an idol. For him, Austin was the sum of strength, wisdom, and beauty. "Magnificent..." he responded, "just magnificent."

"Thank you, Nat."

"I'm sure you'll draw sighs from the N&W's girls."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I would be very fortunate if I win the heart of a girl."

"Actually, the fortunate one would be her."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, Nat!"

The two EM-1s left the Works. It was time for Austin to go to his new home in Columbus, the capital of Ohio. Nathaniel accompanied him up to Wheeling, about 59 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. Once there, they reached the junction where they had to separate.

"Well," said Nathaniel, "the time has come to say goodbye…"

"No way," replied Austin, "this is just a 'see you soon'. Don't say goodbye. I'll come to visit you as much as I can."

"Okay," Nathaniel smiled, "I'll be looking forward to your visit. Oh, and I'll continue trying to be kind with the diesels. It's being a bit difficult, but I won't give up."

"Wow! With this attitude you'll soon see the result of your effort, Nat. I'm glad to hear that you think so. This is already a great achievement."

"Thank you, Austin."

The signal changed to green, so Austin pumped his pistons. "Well, see you soon, Nat."

"See you soon, my brother. I wish you well."

"Thank you. I wish you well too."

The two engines smiled at each other for some seconds, and then Austin set off for Columbus. Nathaniel stayed looking at him until he disappeared in the horizon. _"My beloved brother has a new life,"_ he thought as he closed his eyes. _"Thank you, my Lord."_

The hope of being saved from scrapping gave Nathaniel joy in the days following Austin's departure. His attempts to win the friendship of the diesels seemed to be useless, but he did not give up. He already knew that, after four years of being rude to them, the diesels would not trust him from one day to the next. But as Austin said, his effort would be rewarded.

Austin came to visit once a week. He did not bring any news about a potential buyer yet, but still so, he encouraged his brother not to lose hope.

Nathaniel was already starting to show signs of wear on his machine, and his _engineer_ did his best to alleviate his discomforts. Mr. O'Mara himself took care of keeping him clean and always made sure that he did not lack the lubricants. But the lack of maintenance was wreaking havoc on him, and just two months after Austin's departure, it happened what he dreaded: an incident forced him to get out of service. It was on a very busy morning while Nathaniel was pulling a heavy train together with a diesel. On arriving at a junction, a little explosion was heard and his brakes failed... Luckily, the diesel managed to stop the train before causing a serious accident.

This was the end. Nathaniel was no longer able to work.

He was taken to a siding, where he stayed to wait for the decision from the heads of the _railroad_ about his fate. Obviously, he would be send to the dead storage.

Nathaniel was as sad as frightened. The incident took him by surprise, and he thought that now no one else would be interested in buying him.

Mr. O'Mara was worried as well. Although he was already prepared for this, he would have preferred Nathaniel to be bought by someone from the other side of the world rather than being sent to the scrapping yards. But he had no time to lament now, because there was another worry that occupied his mind; his wife was not well at all... For the past several days, his wife was feeling very weak, she did not feel like eating and hardly get out of bed. Now she had already lost weight and the doctor ordered some exams. So, the concern of Mr. O'Mara about Nathaniel was in a secondary plane at the moment. But anyway, he was thinking on how to help his engine endure this situation.

In the afternoon, the order to take Nathaniel to the dead storage yard was given, and an engine was designated to comply with such direction.

Nathaniel closed his eyes at the sound of the engine that would take him. He did not want to see anything. He did not want to see everyone working happily while he was being carried to the place of death. But then he heard a voice that surprised him.

"Nathaniel… I'm sorry that this happened to you... It's not fair... You didn't deserve it."

Nathaniel knew that voice. He had heard it hundreds of times mocking him. But this time it sounded different. It did not seem like a mockery. This time it sounded soft and sad, and more strikingly, it had pronounced his name instead of his number. It was the voice of the diesel he had hit...

Nathaniel slowly opened his eyes and looked at his 'enemy'. And, for the first time in years, he also pronounced his name. "Bernard..." he whispered.

Bernard looked at him in embarrassment. "I… I was very rude to you all this time…" he lamented. "I was cruel… Could you forgive me… please? I won't live in peace without your forgiveness…"

Nathaniel was even more surprised. He hardly believed what he had just heard. Had the time come to be rewarded for his efforts to win the friendship of the diesels? He noticed that there was sincerity in Bernard's voice and sympathy in his gaze. He could even see himself in Bernard's phrase; _"I won't live in peace without your forgiveness…"_ He immediately remembered Austin's words; _"If you want to be forgiven; you must forgive others."_

Nathaniel felt this was a 'historic moment' and he could not pass up this opportunity. "Forget all the bad things that happened between us," he responded nicely. "I want you to live in peace."

Bernard smiled slightly. "Thank you, Nathaniel."

"Please call me Nat. And could you forgive me too?"

"Of course! We are friends now. You know, I would have liked to be as brave as you to accompany you at… that moment."

Nathaniel looked at Bernard tenderly. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Our friendship will give me serenity at that moment."

"Wow... I admire you, Nat. You're so courageous... I don't feel worthy of carrying you."

"Don't say that, Bernard. What could be better than being carried by a friend?"

"O-oh... okay then. So, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am. Do I have to go to Butler?"

"No. They want you to go to Cumberland."

"Oh… well."

Bernard felt compassion for his new friend. "I'll carry you carefully, Nat," he said. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Please let me know if you feel any pain."

"Okay. Thank you."

Bernard coupled up to the EM-1 and gently began to pull him.

During the journey, the two engines had a friendly conversation. Nathaniel realized that having made peace with the diesel that bothered him most was another gift from Heaven, and this made him feel fortunate despite his situation.

On arriving at the dead storage yard, Mr. O'Mara climbed onto Nathaniel's pilot.

"Sir," said Nathaniel a little scared, "please let Austin know this… I won't endure this without him."

"Don't worry, Nat," Mr. O'Mara caressed his engine's cheek, "I'll inform Austin about this. But this is not the end yet... While there's life, there is hope. I'll ask the heads of the _railroad_ to give us a reasonable period of time to wait for a buyer. And I'll also ask them to allow you to stay in some shed during that time, so that you won't have to see the... sad things that happen here."

"Oh... thank you, sir. This encourages me again. You know, I made peace with Bernard. This was something I had pending in order to have a clear conscience, and the Lord granted me that grace just when I needed it most."

Mr. O'Mara smiled sweetly. "Glad to hear that, boy. I'm not surprised that you have obtained that grace, because in fact, together with life, the other greatest gift from God is forgiveness."

"Wow... This encourages me even more. I hope the heads of the _railroad_ give us a period of time, sir."

"Me too. I'll go to talk with them right now."

"Thank you, sir. So... goodbye."

"No… don't say goodbye, Nat. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise. I won't abandon you... You're still MY engine."

Nathaniel looked fondly at his _engineer_. "You are the most wonderful person in the world, sir," he said. "God bless you."

Mr. O'Mara swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat. "Thank you..." he whispered, and he kissed his engine's cheek tenderly. "See you soon."

Nathaniel smiled. "See you, sir."

Mr. O'Mara immediately came down from Nathaniel's pilot and went to climb onto Bernard's cab. If he had stayed for one more second he would have burst into tears, and there was no time for that now. He had to go quickly if he wanted to meet with the heads of the _railroad_ before they leave their office in the evening.

Nathaniel felt a pain in his heart. He did not know what made him sad the most: having been left out of service, or seeing his _engineer_ getting into a diesel's cab. Mr. O'Mara was still young; there were many years of work awaiting him, unlike Austin's _engineer_ who had already reached retirement age and would only work eight more months.

So Nathaniel wondered if his _engineer_ would be happy by operating a diesel for the rest of his working life...

* * *

...

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, Austin was saved by a rail-fan and Nathaniel is waiting for a buyer. :)

In real life, no one of the EM-1 was preserved. The #7600 (Austin's basis) made rail-fan trips between Cumberland-MD and Connellsville-PA in her last years, and the front of her smoke-box was painted light-gray for the occasion. She was in service until February, 1960, while the last run of an EM-1 was on April, 19 of the same year. I didn't find information on what number was the locomotive that ran on this last date. As for the #679 (former 7629, Nathaniel's basis), I've read that she spent her last days in Cumberland.

In the next chapter, you'll know which news Mr. O'Mara brings about the fate of his engine.


	4. The Miracle

**A/N:** Hi, my dears! :) The fourth chapter is here and it shows the sweetest moment between Nathaniel and his driver, alongside with a big surprise that will have a lot to do with the EM-1's fate.

Guest 4: Thank you for leaving such a lovely review, my friend. You made me blush. :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER IV**

 **THE MIRACLE**

* * *

 _"Oh, my Lord… don't You get tired of making me shed tears of happiness?"_ -Nathaniel

* * *

Back in the present, Nathaniel was already asleep. This had been his fifth day in the dead storage. Another day by submerged in his memories in order to distract himself from the scrapper's torch's noise. At least he would not have to hear any noise the next day, since it would be Sunday.

Although having been relatively calm when he arrived at this place, what he saw the following days made him scared. Several engines were scrapped, engines that did not have someone to comfort them. Nathaniel felt pity for them and would have liked to get near them to help, but he was unable to move by himself. He had not been aware of how terrible to be scrapped is when he accompanied his brothers, because he had been in front of them during the entire process and did not see what happened behind. But now he was seeing everything. And he noticed that, being the largest engine in the yard, his scrapping would be the slowest of all…

Luckily he got to sleep without nightmares all these nights. His brothers watched over his sleep from the _Railroad of the Clouds_. But still so, fear did not let him in peace during the day, making many questions roll in his mind. What if his _engineer_ did not obtain the period of time to wait for a buyer? What if no buyer appeared at the end? What if Austin could not come to accompany him? Nathaniel did not want to imagine such possibilities. His only hope for peace was to know if Caitlin forgave him.

The next day, at dawn, Nathaniel was awakened by the sound of a car. That seemed very odd to him, since no one usually works on Sundays. So he opened his eyes and looked towards the place that the sound had come from.

And a smile shone on his face on recognizing his _engineer_ 's car, a light-brown 1937 Chevy.

Mr. O'Mara parked his car about fifty metres from him. That was the closest he could arrive, as there was scrap scattered all over the yard. He came out of the car and took a bag in a hand with him. Nathaniel felt happy to see him again. "Happy Sunday, sir!" exclaimed the EM-1.

"Happy Sunday, boy! Glad to see you happy."

"Seeing you always makes me happy, sir."

"Oh, son…" Mr. O'Mara climbed onto his engine's pilot. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I was very busy by training... well... you know... to operate diesels."

"It's all right, sir. Life goes on for you."

Mr. O'Mara smiled sadly. "You're right." He opened the bag he was carrying and took a towel and a bottle of water from it. "I'm going to remove the dust from your face for you to feel better."

"Okay, sir."

Nathaniel closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt the moist towel sliding on his face. He always enjoyed this treatment that his _engineer_ gave him. And now he really wanted to get rid of all the dust that had accumulated on his face these days.

A few minutes later, his face was clean. "Thank you, sir," he said.

"You're welcome, boy. Well, I have some news for you. First of all, Austin was already notified about your situation. He'll visit you this week."

"Oh... thank goodness. I have missed him so much."

"He felt sad on knowing about your incident, but he trusts that despite being broken; someone might be willing to buy you. And speaking of that, we have obtained a reasonable period of time to wait for a buyer. They gave us seven months."

"Wow! That's a reasonable time indeed. Many things could happen in seven months."

"That's right. They also agreed to give you a shed for you to spend this time."

"Oh! Where will I go, sir?"

"To the shunting yard near here. There's an old shed there, which no engine uses. It's not totally closed, but at least it'll protect you from rain and the intense heat."

"That's good! And I'll be able to be distracted by seeing the activity in the yard."

"Exactly. Oh, and you won't have to worry about possible mockeries from the diesels. I've talked with Bernard about it, and he promised he's going to warn everybody that they'll have to face his fury if they dare to tease you."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! That Bernard!"

"He also said he'll launch a curse on them."

"HA! HA! HA!"

Mr. O'Mara laughed with his engine. He was grateful to see Nathaniel so happy.

And Nathaniel was grateful too. After having had "allergy" to the diesels during several years; he got rid of the rancour and Bernard became his powerful ally. Certainly he would not have to worry about his well-being in the following months.

"This is wonderful news, sir," said Nathaniel. "I thank you very much for everything you're doing for me."

"I'm happy to be able to bring you all this wonderful news, Nat. You know, it was a real battle to negotiate with the heads of the _railroad_. They wanted you to be scrapped at all cost."

"Really?"

"Yes. They insisted that it was not necessary to preserve two EM-1s and that they would not authorize the use of the tracks to a lot of engines that no longer work for them. I told them it was unfair to deny you the chance of surviving just because another member of your class was already saved, and that maybe another _railroad_ could be willing to receive you on its tracks. In the end, they agreed to give us a period of time on the condition that you go to another _railroad_ in case of being bought."

"Oh, my… Then it's a miracle that they have heard you, sir. I can see it really was a battle."

Mr. O'Mara looked at Nathaniel fondly. "But I'm pleased to have fought for you," he said. "And you hit the nail on the head; it's precisely a miracle what made them give us seven months. At first, the maximum time they wanted to give us was five months, but thanks to the miracle I could convince them to extend it two more months. I wanted that, in the case that you were not bought, at least you would be able to see that miracle before you go."

Nathaniel was confused. "I don't understand, sir… What miracle?"

Mr. O'Mara smiled and his eyes filled with tears. "I still can't believe it, Nat…" he whispered with a trembling voice. "Finally… after all these years…" he made a pause and swallowed hard to complete the phrase, "… my wife is expecting a baby!"

"OH, MY GOSH!"

Mr. O'Mara hidden his face against Nathaniel's cheek and let his tears fall freely. It was impossible to contain so much emotion.

Nathaniel could not help but shed tears too. He would have liked to have steam to blow his whistle and show his happiness, but he realized that it was better not to make any noise, since many engines in the yard were sleeping yet and, besides, they did not have the blessing of receiving good news like him... So, he simply smiled and let his tears mix with his _engineer_ 's.

"Sir..." Nathaniel whispered after a while, trying to make his voice audible above the lump on his throat, "of all the news you brought me... this is the most beautiful... I-I know how much you wanted to be a father... I'm sure that that baby... is the gift that Heaven sends you... for being the most wonderful person in the world... And I'm sure you'll be the best father in the world as well… because you already proved it with the way in which you treated me… I'll tell you a secret, sir... The main reason I didn't want to be scrapped... it was because you didn't have children… and you said that I was... as a son for you… But now I'm happy to hear… that you'll become a father… you'll have a real child…" Nathaniel paused and breathed a couple of time. The lump on his throat was refusing to disappear, but still so he continued to whisper his words. "Sir… you'll no longer have to imagine… that I'm as a human baby in your arms... because soon your own baby will sleep into your arms… against your chest... by hearing your heartbeats… Oh, I'm so happy for you, sir… I can't wait to see my little sibling…" Nathaniel stopped on noticing that his _engineer_ cried even more. And now he could no longer speak due to the emotion.

Mr. O'Mara was very touched by all he was hearing. The words from his engine directly addressed his heart. Little by little he stopped crying and moved from Nathaniel's cheek. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped away his tears.

"Congratulations, sir," whispered Nathaniel, looking at him tenderly.

Mr. O'Mara smiled. "Thank you, Nat," he replied. Then he took the towel and wiped his engine's tears too. "And thanks for your beautiful words… Each of them touched my heart… Oh, I can't wait to take your little sibling in my arms…"

"You deserved this miracle, sir… I imagine you and your wife felt like Heaven at the moment you found out you'll become parents."

"Oh, boy… It was the best moment of our life, even more considering that we had been very worried the previous days. My wife was not feeling well and we thought it was something temporary. But after a week she was still sick, so I took her to the hospital and the doctor ordered some exams. Then, when we returned to the hospital to know the results of those exams, the doctor greeted us with a huge smile and said _'Congratulations! You will become parents!'_ At first we didn't believe him, but he affirmed it was true. Then my wife and I embraced each other and started to cry like crazies. Even the doctor shed tears."

"Ohh… what a cute moment… I tremble with emotion by imagining that sweet scene… No wonder that the doctor cried as well… But, why was your wife feeling ill, sir?"

"That's normal when a woman is expecting," explained Mr. O'Mara, looking lovingly at his engine. "During the first months; her body is totally focused on forming the baby and spends all its energies on that. For that reason some discomforts appear. But they just last for a few weeks and soon the future mother feels well again."

"Wow… that sounds amazing, sir. You know, it makes me think that a woman's body is like a workshop."

"Ha! Ha! And I don't blame you for thinking so, Nat. It's an impressive workshop indeed. Luckily, my wife is now so happy that the discomforts don't matter to her. There's no doubt that happiness helps us endure a lot of things."

Nathaniel smiled. "Totally agree, sir. You had already said it before and now I have proof of that."

Mr. O'Mara gulped, feeling a great fondness for his engine. He knew what Nathaniel meant. In fact, were it not for the happiness of knowing he would become a father, it would have been very difficult for him to consider the possibility that Nathaniel could be scrapped. Unlike the _engineers_ of other locomotives who had more years of work and were able to accept farewells faster, this would be the first time that Mr. O'Mara would have to say goodbye to his 'iron child'. But despite having already accepted the reality, the fact that Nathaniel called his baby "my little sibling" made his strength stagger for a moment. That is the reason why he had cried even more when he heard that phrase. Now he wanted more than ever that Nathaniel should be saved from death. He would not like to show him his baby and the next day to say goodbye. He wanted him to be able to see his _little sibling_ growing up... He wanted to keep seeing his charming, innocent smile… He still believed that Nathaniel would be saved because of the prophecy of his name. But at the same time, he did not know if that belief was inspiration from Heaven or was simply a denial of reality at a subconscious level. Anyway, he would have seven more months to make visits like this.

Mr. O'Mara kept talking with his beloved engine for a few hours. But near noon, Nathaniel began to worry.

"Sir, I love you're here making me company; but what about your wife? Is she alone?"

"No. Her mother is at home to help her and will stay with us until she feels completely well. But anyway I must go now. I promised her I would go back for lunch time."

"Please tell her I'm very happy for you two, sir. And also tell her that I wish her to feel completely well soon and that my little sibling be born without any problem."

"Oh, Nat… that's so sweet… Of course I will." Mr. O'Mara put the towel and the bottle back on the bag. "My… I almost forgot this." He opened the zipper of another compartment in the bag and took a newspaper. "Look, I brought the photo of Caitlin for you to see it again."

"Wow!" Nathaniel watched that photo he loved so much, that one which showed his 'mom' smiling widely beside the love of her life. And due to the fact that the image was black and white; he still imagined Caitlin wearing her royal blue livery... He did not know that now she was almost the same colour than the pretty bouquet of carnations she had on her handrail.

Nathaniel did not cease to marvel at the fact that the human being had found the way to record an image and save it to see it many times. And even more impressed he was by the images recorded on video tapes, those which can be reproduced with a small cinema projector and give us the impression to be making a real journey to the past...

"Glad to see Caitlin's smile, sir," he said, "that image is priceless… Thank you for remembering to bring this newspaper."

"You're welcome, boy," replied Mr. O'Mara sweetly. He put the newspaper back on the bag. "Well, I'll visit you every Sunday, unless there is some impediment."

"Thank you, sir. See you."

"See you, Nat."

Just like the last time, Mr. O'Mara kissed his engine's cheek, making him smile. Then he came down from his pilot.

Nathaniel closed his eyes as his _engineer_ walked away. _"Thanks for the blessing of his visit, my Lord,"_ he thought, _"Thanks for the good news he brought me, especially for the blessing of that baby who is forming inside his wife... They deserved this miracle and I'm happy for that... But You know that, in the depths of my heart, my happiness isn't complete... and You also know the reason... Oh, my Lord, I'm sorry for insisting on this matter... I don't know if this is a good thing or it's just an obsession, but... I really want You to let me know if Caitlin forgave me, so that my happiness could be complete... I know You can do this because You've already done it once... I've prayed for Caitlin so that she could find someone that makes her happy, and You showed me the result of my prayer through... a photo in a newspaper! Who would have imagined it? It was even recorded on a video tape that exciting event in which the photo was taken…"_ Nathaniel smiled. _"A video tape... what a priceless invention, my Lord... What a-"_

Nathaniel opened his eyes widely. An idea inspired by Heaven had come to his mind. "Stunning steep climbs!" he exclaimed. Then he looked toward the place where his _engineer_ had left and saw that he was just climbed into his car. "SIIIR! WAAAAIT!" he screamed, but Mr. O'Mara had already started his car's engine and did not hear him. _"Ohh, nooo… Now I'll have to wait until next Sunday…"_ But then, he noticed that his _engineer_ turned off his car's engine again and got out of it. _"Huh? Did he hear me after all?"_

Mr. O'Mara approached the engine that was near his car. He talked a little with him, and then he ran toward Nathaniel.

 _"Oh! That engine alerted him to my call!"_ thought Nathaniel. "THANK YOU, MY FRIEND!" he shouted to the engine in question. He could not hear the answer due to the distance, but he saw that the engine gifted him a big smile.

Were it not for the fact that the engine was covered in dust, rust and even a bit of vegetation, Nathaniel would have recognized him.

"What's the matter, Nat?" Mr. O'Mara asked as he approached the EM-1.

"Sir… sorry for bothering you, but an idea has just occurred to me and I would like you to help me..."

"It's all right, son. Tell me about your idea." Nathaniel told him about the idea, and he thought it was feasible. "Oh… I like it, Nat. I'll care of that. Precisely, this week it'll visit me a relative that could help us."

"Wow! Thank you, sir."

"Anything for you, boy. Luckily, Washington alerted me to your call."

Nathaniel gasped. "Washington? Is that Washington, sir?"

"Yes. The poor thing is still waiting for his destiny. I really feel pity for him. He could hardly raise his voice to speak because of thirst."

"Oh, bless him... I thought he was already gone a long time ago… Please tell him I'll be praying for him, sir."

"Okay, I'll tell him. Well, see you next Sunday."

"See you, sir."

Mr. O'Mara went away again, and Nathaniel stayed looking at Washington with compassion and gratitude.

Washington was none other than the eldest of Caitlin's nineteen brothers, and he was the last of them that was still waiting for his encounter with the scrapper's torch. He had been parked in the dead storage yard ever since he was removed from service some years ago.

 _"Oh, my friend…"_ thought Nathaniel, _"I didn't recognize you from here… Thanks for helping me... I just hope you've never found out what I did to your little sister... But, anyway, I think that if you had been angry with me for that; you wouldn't have helped me, nor would you be giving me that sweet smile right now... After all, your heart is as pure as Caitlin's…"_

Nathaniel wished with all his heart that Washington should be saved from death. And at nightfall, he humbly prayed for him until falling asleep. But actually, his friend's fate was already sealed...

The next morning, the noise of a diesel woke Nathaniel up. At first he did not mind, but then he heard a weak voice calling him.

"N-nat... please… wake up."

He opened his eyes and got surprised before what he saw. "Washington!" he exclaimed on seeing the P7 at his side, coupled up to the diesel. "What are they doing to you?"

"I'm going... to the museum."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Y-yes... It's true."

"Oh, my Gosh..." Nathaniel eyes filled with tears. "What good news, my friend… I'm happy for you... Now you'll be in a comfortable place... and the workers will keep you clean… and you'll no longer be thirsty... Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Nat... And also... I'll be praying... for you."

Nathaniel swallowed hard. "Thank you..." he whispered, "thank you, Washington... Be happy... Be very happy... God bless you."

Washington smiled widely. "Same to you... my friend... Goodbye."

"G-goodbye."

As Washington was carried away by the diesel, Nathaniel looked up at the sky. _"Oh, my Lord…"_ he thought, _"don't You get tired of making me shed tears of happiness? Every morning You wake me up with the news of a miracle lately…"_

Nathaniel smiled tenderly.

He did not know that he would still shed many tears of happiness.

He did not know that, two months later, Heaven would let him know what he wished the most…

* * *

...

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you have liked the surprise. Nathaniel will have a little sibling. :)

This was the last chapter in which events take place in the USA. In the next one, we'll see what happens between Caitlin, Connor and Gordon on Sodor.

By the way, a certain "Washington" appeared here as being Caitlin's older brother. This character is based on the P7 #5300 "President Washington", the first of the P7 class built in 1927 and the only one that has escaped the scrapper's torch. Nowadays, the locomotive is on static display at the _B &O Railroad Museum_ in Baltimore. But I don't know in what year she has been saved, nor in what storage yard she was parked before that.

See you on Sodor, guys! :)


	5. Magical Window

**A/N:** I'm back with a new chapter, my friends, and I would like to say something about the American express engines that appear here. I really love Connor and Caitlin. When I saw them in KOTR, I thought they were purely decorative characters that didn't contribute anything significant to the plot and that only served the purpose of selling more toys. But then, I searched for information about the railroads they belonged to and I started to feel a great fondness for them, even more considering that their bases were scrapped. Also, in the following series, they've had a few excellent episodes that allowed us to know their personalities, and I noticed that they're not 'purely decorative characters'. And what I like most about them is the fact that they're very close friends, while their railroads were powerful rivals in real life. They seem to have forgotten this rivalry, because; although they're always racing, they don't seem to want to show who the best is, but just to have fun (that could be the reason why we never know who wins). So, I enjoy writing about them. Oh, and thanks to them I got to know the B&O's EM-1, which resulted to be a case of love at first sight.

Guest 4: Thank you, my friend. Even though this is a fanfic, I wanted to portray the life of the characters as close as possible to their real history. Your favourite couple is finally here, so I dedicate this chapter to you. :)

* * *

 **CHAPTER V**

 **MAGICAL WINDOW**

* * *

 _"_ _Your baby won't suffer anymore… He deserves to feel peace in his heart and be happy again…"_ –Gordon.

* * *

 ** _Barrow-in-Furness, England._** ** _A month and a half later._**

She was a streamlined engine; pretty as a fuchsia carnation in a bridal bouquet.

She could go almost as fast as a bullet.

In fact, her gorgeous design was known as 'The Bullet' in her country.

But, her mind worked _at normal speed_ and could not process so many thoughts at once at the speed of a bullet. So, while the breeze of nightfall caressed her face, she just sighed deeply and closed her eyes to relax before deciding what to do. What had just happened made her entire machine shake, and she needed a bit of time to recover. Luckily, a warm embrace enfolded her boiler to comfort her; the embrace from her adoptive brother Connor. She was grateful to have such a kind-hearted brother at her side. And she was glad that he saw the unexpected gift that had come to her _from across the pond_. This gift was precisely what had made her entire machine shake. And, to be honest, Connor had shaken too…

"Caitlin…" called Connor's tender voice at one point, interrupting her thoughts, "can I do something to help you?"

Caitlin stared at him, smiling slightly. Her eyes were still covered in tears. "You're already doing it," she whispered.

Connor returned the smile, and he continued caressing respectfully her boiler with his steam.

Caitlin looked at the wall of the station. There, thanks to technological advances, a _magical window_ had opened a few minutes earlier, showing something that was a part of her heart. Something she did not imagine she would see again. Through that window she had heard of certain news. Some of them made her happy, such as the fact that her older brother was rescued from the scrapping yard. But others made her sad. And her sadness had more weight than her happiness at this time.

"Connor…"

"Yes?"

"What do you think about… Nathaniel?"

"Well… I… I must admit that I had a wrong idea about him all these years… I've judged him without knowing him properly… But now I can see he's a good friend… and considering that you had already forgiven him, I think that so much remorse made him suffer unjustly. So…" Connor stopped on seeing that Caitlin started to cry again. "Oh, my sister… calm down…"

Caitlin could not avoid weeping. Now that all her questions have their answers, she felt she could finally shed all those tears she had contained for almost three years. "My baby…" she repeated between sobs, "my cute baby!"

She had already forgotten what Nathaniel did. But she had not forgotten Nathaniel. Her 'cute baby' was still in her heart. And she had just seen him through the magical window… She had just heard his voice… How to avoid tears? Besides, she totally agreed with what Connor said; _so much remorse made him suffer unjustly_. The fondness she felt for Nathaniel was now stronger than ever. "Oh, Connor…" she said with a trembling voice, "I just hope… that Gordon thinks the same as you... I'm afraid of… how he's going to react…"

"No… don't be afraid… You know you can trust Gordon… He loves you."

"I know… but this will be something… totally unexpected for him…"

"Even so, I know everything will be alright... Don't be afraid." Connor kept embracing Caitlin while she tried to calm down. He could understand what she was feeling, but he was sure that Gordon would not judge her in a wrong way. "Let's go to our sheds," he suggested as Caitlin stopped crying. "There we'll be more comfortable to talk… Okay?"

"Okay… Let's go… Thank you for supporting me."

"I'll always support you, Caitlin… You have an ally in me."

The two streamlined engines smiled at each other affectionately. Then, they went to their sheds.

It took Caitlin a long time to fall asleep after talking with Connor about what they would do the next day. She stayed lost in thought, wondering how Gordon would react on hearing the news she had for him. She had never spoken to Gordon again about Nathaniel after that first time she did it, because she thought it would make him angry. But now she noticed that it was a big mistake not having spoken to him about her feelings towards the EM-1. And also, now she felt bad for not having tried to get news about Nathaniel during these years. After all, the world was getting smaller and smaller with so many advances in communications. They were even saying that there would be "live satellite broadcasts" within a short time.

But actually, the reason why Caitlin did not dare to find out anything about her _baby_ was because she feared being told that he was scrapped… She preferred to remember him alive, with his innocent gaze, his lovely smile, and... his incessant desire to see a blue butterfly.

The next morning, while waiting for her passengers to take them to the island of Sodor, Caitlin was anxious to see Gordon and show him the gift she had received. She thought that the Ulfstead Castle was a good place to do it, so she decided that she would talk to Sir Robert about it and, if he agreed, she would encounter with Gordon into their 'tunnel of love' in the evening.

An hour later, Caitlin arrived at Ulfstead Castle. Her heart pounded as she waited for Sir Robert, and she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not notice when an engine stopped at her side.

"Hi, Caitlin!" greeted a sweet female voice. "Um... are you there? Hello?"

Caitlin continued looking at nothing. Then the engine in question blew her whistle. "OW!" screamed Caitlin. "H-hello, Emily... I hadn't seen you... I was miles away thinking of certain news I've received last night."

"Oh… Can I ask what the news is about?"

"Yes. They told me that one of my brothers was saved from scrapping! It's Washington, the eldest of all."

"Wooow… That's wonderful news, Caitlin! Congratulations! No wonder you were so distracted."

"Hee! Hee! Thank you, Emily! Oh, and I was also thinking of another thing and I wanted to talk with you about it. It's something that… intrigues me."

"I'm here to listen to you, my friend. What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering… in addition to loving a couple; is it normal that an engine loves someone else like a mother loves her baby?"

"Aww… Of course yes! There are several ways to love. In my case, I love Thomas and Percy as if they were my children. I can't avoid thinking of them as being the kids of the railway. Thomas was even my baby one night. I hugged him with my steam and he fell asleep into my arms as I sang a lullaby to him. I felt like Heaven!"

"Oh, my! That's so sweet! You know, I also loved an engine as if he was my baby when I lived in my country. I was blessed to be present when he was born."

Emily's jaw dropped. "Do you mean… you saw him open his eyes for the first time?"

"Yes. I'll never forget that moment… His boiler was starting to bubble; he trembled a little, and the workers placed themselves near his pilot… I was worried because he was taking his time to breathe… But soon he managed to breathe and stopped trembling… So, he opened his eyes… He tried to look at me, but his eyes still didn't be able to see properly… A worker greeted him, and the whole workshop exploded into an ovation… Afterward, the worker said _'Nathaniel, meet Caitlin… She'll take you to your home'_ … and Nathaniel smiled at me… with the sweetest smile I've ever seen… It was one of the best experiences I had in life."

"Oh, Caitlin..." Emily was touched, "what a wonderful experience… Then you also know what motherly love feels like… And was your Nathaniel a chubby little tank engine?"

"Hee! Hee! Hee! No, certainly not. He was an articulated tender engine, and he was about ten metres longer than I am."

"Fizzling Fireboxes! That's almost… forty metres long! He was a giant."

"Exactly. A quite handsome giant, by the way."

"Wow! Hee! Hee! But, is he still… um… alive?"

"Yes, thank goodness. I've been informed he's still alive."

"Glad to hear that. I would have liked to see him. I've never seen an articulated engine."

"And I wish I could see him once again and hear him calling me 'mommy' as he usually did… I love him as much as the day he was born-" Caitlin stopped. She thought she had gone too far with that declaration. "But… please don't tell anyone, okay? I've not yet talked to Gordon about this… And also, I want to be the one to give him the news about my brother."

"Don't worry. Your secrets are safe with me."

Caitlin smiled with relief. "Thank you, Emily. You're a good friend. I feel happy with you."

Emily looked at her friend fondly. "I feel happy to have you as my friend, Caitlin," she responded. "Well, I must return to Knapford now. See you later."

"See you, Emily."

Emily set off for Knapford, wondering why Caitlin still did not tell Gordon anything about her _baby_. She could not believe that Caitlin was afraid that Gordon gets angry. Emily used to hug Thomas and Percy and even kiss their cheeks affectionately, and her boyfriend James did never get angry with her because of that. There are several kinds of love. But then Emily thought that Caitlin could have a good reason to hide her motherly love. After all, making Gordon angry was not so hard… And considering that Caitlin's _baby_ was a 'quite handsome giant'; it would be better to be cautious.

After Emily left, Caitlin spoke to Sir Robert and this one accepted to help her to show her gift to Gordon.

Now Caitlin was even more eager to see her boyfriend. But also, she was a little nervous.

* * *

At evening, in Knapford, Gordon was about to go to Tidmouth Sheds when Sir Topham Hatt stopped him.

"Wait a minute, Gordon," said Sir Topham Hatt, "I have a message for you."

"Yes, sir?"

"Sir Robert called me a little while ago and he said that Caitlin is waiting for you at the castle. She has something important to talk about with you."

"Oh…" Gordon smiled from buffer to buffer. "This message makes me very happy, sir. And… can I stay there to spend the night with Caitlin?"

"Of course you can. But you already know the rule, right?"

"Yes, sir! To be here in the morning at seven o'clock sharp."

"Very good. You can go now."

"Thank you, sir!"

Gordon pumped his pistons and left the station with a huge smile of his face. He puffed towards Ulfstead Castle as fast as he could, eager to encounter with his beloved. He supposed that Caitlin had something really important to tell him, because they usually did not meet at the castle to talk in the middle of the week.

As he arrived at the castle he went straight to the 'tunnel of love', thinking of the kiss he would give his girlfriend. But on entering the tunnel, he saw that a worker of the castle was standing just in front of Caitlin, preventing passage. The worker had an appliance in his hands and he was placing it on a tripod. _"Looks that the kiss will have to wait,"_ thought Gordon. He stopped around two metres from the worker and greeted. "Good evening, there!"

"Good evening, Gordon!" responded Caitlin and the worker. "Thank you for coming, my love" added Caitlin.

Gordon noticed nervousness in Caitlin's voice. "You're welcome, precious," he responded with a warm smile. "Sir Topham Hatt told me you had something important to talk about with me."

"Y-yes. Actually… they're two important things. The first is that they told me that one of my brothers has escaped the scrapper's torch. It's my beloved Washington! And I thought that everyone had gone..."

"Bust my Buffers! What a blessing, my love! Did someone buy him?"

"No, he was taken to the museum. But I'm very happy that he is there, because he had already suffered a lot being abandoned at the scrapping yard all these years."

"Oh, dear... I also think that it's better to be in a museum instead of a horrifying scrapping yard. I'm happy for him too. He's my brother-in-law, just like Connor!"

"Hee! Hee! It's true! Now you have two brothers-in-law. And speaking of adoptive family…" Caitlin swallowed, "the other important thing is… well… I've received a gift from my country yesterday. Um… Connor had already seen it, and I want you to see it too… It's a video tape."

"Wow…" Gordon looked at the worker again. Only now he recognized the appliance he was handled. It was a home cinema projector. "Did they send you the latest Hollywood production?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Caitlin laughed heartily, but she was still visibly nervous. "No, it's just a… home production, with one single actor."

"You make me very curious, sweetie. What is it about?"

Caitlin took a deep breath. It was the moment of revelation. "Gordon... I-I know that maybe... you won't like what you'll see. But... it's a part of my past and you must know it… because you're the love of my life."

Gordon remained silent for some seconds. He did not know what to think, but there was certainly some reason why his girlfriend was so nervous. "Now you're worrying me…" he said. "Who's that such an actor who appears there? Is it one of your brothers?"

"N-no…" Caitlin felt the world stopped turning, "it's... Nathaniel."

"Nathaniel?" Gordon frowned. Now he realized what was going on. "Do you mean... _that_ Nathaniel?"

"Please don't say anything until you see the entire film," begged Caitlin, "please, my love... It'll take only a few minutes... This is very important to me and I need your support… because I don't want to do anything without you knowing it."

Gordon was confused. He would have liked to ask a lot of questions at this moment, but he thought it was better to keep quiet and watch the film instead of increasing Caitlin's nervousness. "Calm down, sweetie," he soothed, "it's all right… What's important to you is important to me… Let's see the film. I won't say anything until it ends."

"Oh…" Caitlin felt a great relief. "Thank you, honey," she whispered sweetly, and Gordon smiled lovingly at her.

Gordon was not angry, but just confused. He had no idea about what he will see in the film. He just knew that the actor was 'that Nathaniel'.

Once the video tape was in place, the worker turned on the projector and an image appeared on the wall of the tunnel. It was as if a window to another world had been opened. That was the 'magical window' Caitlin had seen the night before at Barrow-in-Furness Station; the one that had showed that part of her life that stayed in her country.

Caitlin held her breath when the _only actor_ of the film appeared on the screen. This was the historical moment in which Gordon would know the object of her motherly love. She did not dare to look at Gordon, for she feared to see a possible negative reaction from him.

Nathaniel had been filmed from such an angle that his stateliness could be appreciated. His right side was slightly visible, although his cylinders prevented the viewer from seeing much of his driving wheels.

Gordon's reaction was one of pure surprise. _"Is that Nathaniel?"_ he thought. _"But... that's not a locomotive... that's a monster! What on earth are those things on his cowcatcher? And why does he have a hose near his face? And where are his driving wheels supposed to be? All what I see is big cylinders and a lot of pipes!"_

Soon, Nathaniel smiled shyly through the _magical window_ and his voice was heard from the projector's speaker. "Hello, Caitlin," he greeted. "Um... w-watch this video until the end, please? You're free to do whatever you want with it, but… I would like you to see it at least once… I asked my _engineer_ to help me do this gift for you, because it has been a long time since you left and... I-I miss you a lot."

Gordon was even more surprised. He thought that the voice of such _monster_ would sound as if it were coming out from the depths of the earth. However, what he was hearing was the sweet, pleasant voice of a teenage boy. Not to mention it had the same Irish accent of Caitlin…

"There are some things I want to tell you," continued Nathaniel. "First of all, good news for you: your brother Washington was saved from death! He was taken to the museum of Baltimore a few days ago. I know that being in a museum is not what we engines desire the most. But, in the end, it's better to be there instead of spending the rest of our days in a dead storage yard. In fact, Washington had a smile of happiness on his face as they took him. He had already suffered a lot here… He was covered in dust and rust, and could hardly speak because of thirst. His boiler no longer had a single drop of water… So I feel happy that he is now clean and hydrated in a comfortable place."

Gordon felt compassion for Washington. Locomotives are also thirsty like humans. Although, unlike humans; they cannot drink water by mouth. They hydrate themselves through the water of their boilers, or the water of their radiators in the case of the diesels. But when they remain several years abandoned under the sun, their boilers and radiators end up drying completely. So Gordon was now even gladder to know that his 'brother-in-law' was safe and sound at the museum.

"My older brother was also saved," said Nathaniel afterward. "Austin was the only brother I had left, and he was removed from service in February. But on the very day of his retirement, he learned about he was bought by a fan of his! Now he lives in Columbus and comes to visit me once a week. I have no words to thank Heaven for this blessing!" Nathaniel smiled even wider. "And there's another great announcement... Do you remember that my _engineer_ , Mr. O'Mara, didn't have children? Well, his wife is finally expecting a baby! I really mean it! They deserved this miracle. Oh, Caitlin, I can't wait to see my little sibling... but I'll have to wait until November... A woman's body is an impressive workshop, but building a human baby is much more complicated than building a locomotive, so it takes more time."

Gordon could not avoid smiling. Nathaniel's last words sounded as funny as innocent. Besides, he spoke about his wonderful news with the enthusiasm of a kid.

"Now I'm going to tell you some things about me," continued Nathaniel. "I was removed from service two weeks ago… I was pulling a train with a diesel in the morning, and when we were near our destiny my brakes failed... Fortunately, my workmate managed to stop the train just before reaching an intersection. Then I was taken to the scrapping yard of Cumberland in the afternoon. And guess who came to take me there? Bernard; the diesel I've despised the most... But something incredible happened at that time; I made peace with him and we talked friendly the entire journey! Can you believe it?"

 _"Oh, dear…"_ thought Gordon. _"So he's waiting for his encounter with the scrapper's torch now…"_

"Some days later," said Nathaniel, "Mr. O'Mara came to visit me and he told me that he had got the heads of the _railroad_ to give us a period of time to wait for a possible buyer for me. They gave us seven months, just the time left for my little sibling to be born. So, if I end up being... scrapped, at least I'll be able to see the baby before I go... Another thing my _engineer_ got is that they to give me a shed to spend these months instead of staying at the scrapping yard. So I'm now in a shed in a shunting yard, and I get to be distracted by watching the activity over here. My _engineer_ was very kind in getting these things for me. He is a wonderful person who never stops taking care of me… I love him as a father."

Gordon began to feel sorry for Nathaniel. He did not even want to imagine how having the days numbered feels like. Also, he was impressed by the relationship of Nathaniel with his driver. There was certainly a great emotional connection between them.

As for Caitlin, her breathing became agitated at this point. The film was reaching its most emotional part…

Nathaniel looked down for a few seconds before continuing, and then he took a deep breathe. "Caitlin…" he said as he looked at the camera again, "now I'll tell you the main reason why I wanted to do this video for you… I know that maybe you won't like it, but… in the name of the friendship which united us; I dare ask you to listen to me... I... I wanted to clarify what was happened in our farewell... because I won't be able to face death calmly if I don't do it."

Gordon got worried. He feared that Nathaniel would say he had fallen in love with Caitlin after all… And he thought this could be the reason why Caitlin was so nervous.

"You already know that I had become grumpy after we lost our numbers because of the new diesels," lamented Nathaniel. "The resentment I had against them for having replaced us was so great that I couldn't control my temper… And when my brothers began to be retired from service, I hated the diesels even more… I felt anger and sadness at the same time, not to mention the huge fear of being scrapped... Then I heard that you had received your death sentence… I thought I wouldn't be able to endure all that… Thank goodness you were saved, and I wanted to see you one last time before you go to your new home." Nathaniel took a deep breathe again. "Two days before your departure, I was talking with Mr. O'Mara about some things, and at one point I asked him... why he kisses his wife on the lips... He responded that kissing her sensual little lips gives him happiness and makes him able to endure anything."

Gordon gulped. _"Sensual little lips?"_ he thought. _"Mr. O'Mara said the same phrase I said to Caitlin! So Nathaniel learned it from him..."_

"Afterwards I went to do my first job of the day," continued Nathaniel, "and I got angry on knowing that they sent Bernard to help me to pull my train... It was a very uncomfortable journey because he didn't stop bothering me. So, when we arrived at our destiny in Youngstown, I hit him and he derailed… and I got a well-deserved punishment for the rest of the day... Then, when I returned to Pittsburgh, Austin told me that you had gone to say goodbye to us the previous afternoon… All these things left me even sadder and I was desperate to meet up with you…"

Caitlin felt a lump in her throat, and she tried to hold back the tears. The most emotional part of the film had come.

"The next morning when I was going to Baltimore…" Nathaniel's voice threatened to break, "it occurred to me that… maybe I would be also able to endure anything if… if I kissed your lips… So I asked you to do it… I-I didn't know that that kiss is exclusive of those who are in love… You tried to explain it to me, but I didn't want to hear you… because I was dying to have some happiness… A-and on seeing that you refused to pleasure me… I got even more desperate… That's why I didn't obey you when… you asked me to get away from you… I…" Nathaniel's voice finally broke, "…I betrayed you!"

The EM-1 burst into tears, and then there was a cut on the film.

Gordon looked down. He realized that Nathaniel was not in love with Caitlin, but he had only been the victim of a moment of weakness. Still, he kept thinking that what he did had no justification.

Caitlin could no longer hold back her tears. Although she had already seen the video, she was touched by this part again.

In the next scene, Nathaniel was already calm. "I was selfish, Caitlin," he said, sadly, "I was only thinking of me… without considering your feelings… without considering your wish of giving your first exclusive kiss to the engine who would win your heart... But you know what; I didn't enjoy that damn kiss at all… On the contrary, I noticed that I had just committed the worst sin of my life… and now I was desperate because you didn't want to hear my apologies… But you did it well, because in fact I didn't deserve your forgiveness… When I finally got away from you, I returned to Pittsburgh with my heart being torn apart… The journey was very painful for me, and my only hope of consolation was Austin... But when I told him what happened, he got so angry with me that he yelled at me like he had never done before... That made me feel even worse… so I kept myself far from him during the rest of the day, and at night I went to a siding in order to cry alone… Then I cried my heart out… Remorse was about to kill me."

Now it was Gordon who was touched. He could see that Nathaniel was suffering because of the remorse and felt pity for him. This made the negative idea he had about him began to change, and he even felt the desire to let him know that Caitlin already forgave him.

But the following words from the EM-1 would leave Gordon even more touched.

Nathaniel brought to the surface the biggest, sweetest secret of Caitlin...

"After I had cried for quite a while," said Nathaniel, "Austin came to me. He apologised for having yelled at me and said that he was there to listen to me… At last I could vent to him… and he comforted me with his hug and his beautiful words… I said to him that I was sure you were hating me at that moment, and that I was desperate because I could no longer be able to fix what I did. But his response was a balm to my heart..." Nathaniel closed his eyes and repeated Austin's words: _"You know Caitlin… you know that she would never hate you… You're her baby… her beloved baby… Maybe she's angry with you right now, but soon she'll forgive you... You can be sure of that… She loved you as a mother from the day you were born... and a mother always forgives."_

Gordon raised his eyebrows. _"WHAT?!"_ he thought. _"Did I hear well?"_

Nathaniel opened his eyes and smiled sadly. "I felt Austin was right," he continued, "and I thought that maybe you would forgive me after all… I'll never forget that you were my _mommy_ , Caitlin… You were the first engine I saw when I was born… Your warm smile gave me security as I first moved my wheels… and in the journey from the Works to our _railroad_ ; I learned from you the first things about life… I-I hope you still consider me your baby, Caitlin... because I still consider you my _mommy_."

Nathaniel cried again, and there was another cut on the film.

Gordon immediately looked at Caitlin in surprise. But their gazes could not meet, because Caitlin had her eyes closed as her cheeks were covering in tears. _"Why didn't you tell me about this, my love?"_ thought Gordon. He already knew that Nathaniel was Caitlin's 'best friend', but he did not imagine that the bond between them was much deeper and sweet. Now he could understand why Caitlin had forgiven him so fast: a mother quickly forgets her anger.

In the next scene, Nathaniel took a few seconds to talk. He was about to reveal something else.

And this revelation would make Gordon finally open the doors of his heart to him…

"Afterwards I told Austin that there was another thing that hurt me," said Nathaniel, "another thing that I wouldn't be able to fix anymore: the fact that I've frustrated a wish of yours... And once more, Austin's words comforted me... He said _'don't despair. You can't remove the frustration from Caitlin's heart by yourself, but the Lord can… Just pray for Caitlin... Ask the Lord that she may fall in love with someone who loves and respects her; someone that can give her a heart-warming kiss of true love... The Lord will listen to you, because He never despises a repentant heart'._ And that's what I did… When we returned to our sheds, I prayed for you so that you can find the love of your life and free yourself from frustration."

Gordon opened his eyes widely. He looked at Caitlin again, and this time, she smiled at him tenderly between the thick tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"The prayer gave me peace that night," continued Nathaniel, "and I fell asleep thinking of you and enfolded in my brother's embrace... I spent the following weeks relatively calm. I even forgot the verbal fights with the diesels. But then Christmas came... and I felt sad again. I couldn't endure the memories of those days in which we sang carols under the Christmas lights of Cumberland... And as Valentine's Day came, I remembered that you had told me you wanted to fall in love… and that you would shed tears of happiness if your boyfriend dedicated to you your favourite love song... _'With a song in my heart'_..."

Gordon swallowed hard. He looked at Caitlin with deep love, and he wanted the film to finish soon so that he could speak with her. But at the same time, he wanted to keep listening to what Nathaniel had to tell. The video was a real window to Caitlin's past for him.

"I stayed very sad because of what I did," said the EM-1 afterward. "But Austin had also told me that nothing happens by chance and that the Lord can use our sufferings in order to do wonderful things. And how right he was... A few months after your departure, my retired brothers received their death sentence, but instead of staying plunged into sadness, the Lord gave me courage to do something that I never imagined I would do... Don't be frightened by what I'm going to say, Caitlin... I accompanied my brothers during their scrapping. I really mean it. Mr. O'Mara told me that if we were accompanied by someone we love, we could be happy in our last hours. So I wanted my brothers to have that blessing… and Heaven decided that I would be the one to accompany them… I'm pleased to have helped them to relax and be calm until the last breath… I spent these last years fulfilling that mission, until only Austin and I were left."

Gordon was trembling. He could not believe what he was hearing.

"Although I had the courage to face my brothers' death," said Nathaniel, "I thought I wouldn't be able to endure Austin's scrapping. But I didn't want to be the first one to go either. My _engineer_ said to me that having a clear conscience helps us not to fear death, and certainly I didn't have it…" The EM-1 swallowed. "The latest Valentine's Day I prayed again for you. And a few days later, the Lord let me know that my prayer was heard. It was precisely in the morning in which Austin said he could no longer work. Mr. O'Mara came along with a newspaper in his hands and showed it to me. I saw a title that read _'One locomotive dedicated a love song to his girlfriend at the Great Valentine's Concert on the Island of Sodor'…"_

 _"Oh, my Gosh..."_ thought Gordon, _"that's me!"_

"Underneath the title there was a photo," Nathaniel smiled, "and I almost fainted on seeing you there! Oh, Caitlin! You looked so smiling beside the love of your life… and so beautiful with the bouquet of flowers he gave you! At last I could know that someone loves you as you deserve… Gordon is the answer to my prayer!"

Gordon's jaw dropped. He never imagined he would hear his name from Nathaniel's lips, nor that he would refer to him as 'the answer to my prayer'…

"My _engineer_ also said that the concert had been broadcasted on TV the previous night," said the EM-1. "He told me that he and his wife couldn't help but get excited by your tears of happiness; Gordon's tender gaze; the dance of the master of ceremony with his wife… Oh, Mr. Gabriel Sand's wife is my _engineer_ 's second cousin, by the way. Isn't it a nice surprise?"

 _"Wow!"_ thought Gordon with a smile. _"Sophia is a relative of Nathaniel's driver! This video is getting better and better."_

"According to Mr. O'Mara," continued Nathaniel, "everything seemed to have gotten out of a fairy-tale while your favorite love song sounded for you… Oh, I would have liked to see that event with my own eyes, Caitlin… but at least I could see you and your beloved in the photo. I felt very happy for you two, and I spent the day smiling at the Lord to show Him my gratitude… And I had another joy as I came home in the evening and Austin said he was saved from death! It was an unforgettable day… Caitlin, I have a reverential respect for Gordon… If I were there on Sodor; I would have protected you two as a Guardian Angel."

 _"Oh, Nathaniel…"_ Gordon was moved. _"And to think that I considered you a dangerous enemy…"_

Caitlin got excited on seeing Gordon's compassionate look. She was almost sure that he already gave Nathaniel a place in his heart.

The EM-1 looked down for a while. "There was another thing which also made that day so unforgettable," he said afterward. "When I was talking with Austin in the night, he said something that opened my eyes… He said that my great rancor against the diesels didn't allow me to think properly, and that if I want to be forgiven; I must forgive others… He literally said _'rancor killed that sweet baby you were someday. It stole the peace of your heart, giving way to bad moods and sadness. And as a result, you started making mistakes... until Caitlin herself became your victim..._ " I realized that he was right. Well… he was ALWAYS right. I really don't know what would have become of me without his wise guidance… That very night I decided that I wanted my heart to be free from rancor, so I spent the two following months being kind with the diesels and trying to win their friendship. It was nothing easy, because they didn't trust me and kept teasing me… But then the incident with my brakes occurred, and that day, Bernard asked me for forgiveness for having been so rude… It was a historical moment for me… I responded him to forget all the bad things that happened between us, and now he is my loyal ally."

Gordon was impressed. He noticed that Austin was a very wise engine whose words explained perfectly the reason why Nathaniel stopped being 'the sweet baby' and betrayed Caitlin. He also noticed that his wise words were fundamental to the redemption of Nathaniel.

"Making peace with my former enemy was something I had pending in order to have a clear conscience," continued the EM-1, "but I have still one thing pending…" His voice became to show nervousness. "Caitlin… h-having seen my brothers' scrapping didn't leave me traumatized… W-what traumatized me was to see you cry because of my fault…" Nathaniel swallowed. "Bernard had said to me that he wouldn't live in peace without my forgiveness, a-and I saw myself in those words… because that's exactly what I wanted to tell you… I-I won't live in peace without your forgiveness… A-and if I end up being scrapped, I won't die in peace… When I saw the photo in which you appear so happy beside your boyfriend; I thought that maybe you would already be able to forget my mistake… So I dare to say… forgive me… Forgive me, _mommy_ … I-I never meant to hurt you…" Nathaniel was about to cry again. "You're the engine that I loved the most together with my brothers… The first thing I saw when I was born was a blue spot surrounded by the glow of the sun… It was you! A-and as my eyes could see properly, I saw you smiling at me tenderly… But unfortunately, because of my mistake, the last thing I remember about you was that you were crying disconsolately and screaming at me to get away… If I had to choose between being saved from death and being forgiven by you; I would choose the second… Please, Caitlin, let me know if you forgave me…"

 _"Of course we'll let you know it!"_ thought Gordon.

"I suppose you told Gordon what I did," continued Nathaniel. "So, tell him that I ask him for forgiveness as well… and that I'm very grateful to him for making you shed tears of happiness… I wish the very best for you two… I can't deny I also had moments of happiness in these years, but the torment of remorse never allowed me to have real peace in my heart… Those days that I spent in the dead storage yard; I've seen certain things that made me feel fear of my own death… So I asked the Lord to let me know if you forgave me in order to be calm, and He inspired me to make this video… I-I want you to know that I'm really repentant for what I did, Caitlin… As I've said… I never meant to hurt you…" Nathaniel began to shed tears and he breathed a couple of times. "T-thank you for having loved me as your baby… You made me very happy… I-I love you, _mommy_ … I love you!"

The magnificent EM-1 closed his eyes and there was another cut on the video.

And this time; the tape stopped.

Gordon and Caitlin looked at each other without pronouncing a single word. They remained silent while the worker; who had gotten out of the tunnel during the film at Caitlin's request, returned to turn off the projector.

The worker took the 8mm video tape and placed it carefully in its protective case. That little technological wonder was a priceless gift for Caitlin. It had crossed the sea bringing Nathaniel's hope; his hope of being forgiven. The worker put this treasure into Caitlin's cab. Then he took the projector and its tripod; said goodnight to the two engines and walked away.

Slowly, Gordon approached his beloved until his buffers gently touched her skirt. Then he smiled tenderly. "What an impressive gift…" he said. "Thank you for showing me."

Caitlin returned the smile through her tears. "D-did you like it?"

"Absolutely. It touched me… When you said that Nathaniel was the actor in the video, you were so nervous that I thought I would see a betrayer engine saying unpleasant things… But all what I saw was… a repentant baby looking for comfort from his _mommy_ …" Caitlin looked down. "Sweetie…" Gordon whispered, "why you didn't tell me about your relationship with him? I don't find anything wrong with it..."

"I was indecisive…" Caitlin looked at Gordon again. "On the one hand, I felt so happy when I met Connor that I forgave Nathaniel that very day… And when I told you what he did to me, you comforted me so much that I could totally get rid of the frustration… So, I thought I was ready to leave my past behind… But on the other hand, I never stopped loving Nathaniel as my baby… and I wanted to get news about him… I wanted to know if he was happy again… So I was going to tell you about my relationship with him before trying to get the news, because I wanted to count on your support to do that… But soon I thought I wouldn't endure to hear that Nathaniel was scrapped… That would've been very hard for me… So, I decided to put my past to rest after all… But then I received this gift from him and…" Caitlin's voice was about to break, "I-I noticed it was a mistake not to have communicated with him... H-he suffered unjustly all these years because of my indecision…"

"My love…" said Gordon, "you shouldn't have had to face that dilemma alone… You should've talked to me about that sooner… I never imagined what kind of relationship there was between you two… Now I see you had one more reason to react so strongly to his betrayal… But also, now I understand why you forgave him so fast… As his wise brother Austin said; a mother always forgives…"

"Y-yes…" Caitlin's chin trembled, "a-and you can also see I was a fool for not having let my baby know he was forgiven… It's obvious that he wasn't aware of that!" Caitlin closed her eyes and began to cry. It may sound weird, but she was now feeling guilty of Nathaniel's tears… She still did not know that everything formed part of a higher plan… But she will know it in good time.

Gordon moved himself closer and pressed his cheek against Caitlin's. Then, he caringly embraced her with his steam… Now that he knew he was _the answer to Nathaniel's prayer_ , he was determined to do anything to help. "Easy, my love…" he whispered, "easy… Your baby won't suffer anymore… He was very brave in making that awesome video for you… and now we'll make a video for him… We'll let him know that you and I already forgave him… We'll also let him know that we are going to pray for him so that he can be saved from death and have a long life… He deserves to feel peace in his heart and be happy again… He deserves to know that his _mommy_ doesn't hold any grudge against him… and that he has a new friend in me."

Caitlin cried even more. She felt deeply touched by her beloved's reassuring words. Without realizing it, Gordon had already responded the questions she had for him. And much to her surprise, Gordon was speaking on behalf of them both… Caitlin did not expect such a positive reaction from him.

Little by little, Caitlin stopped crying. And she remained silent for a while, enjoying Gordon's embrace as her breathing became normal again. "Thank you for supporting me, honey," she whispered afterward. "I'm touched by your words… I was very nervous before showing you the video… because I feared that Nathaniel will cause a bad impression on you… But now I feel good."

Gordon moved from Caitlin's cheek and looked at her tenderly. "He caused a good impression on me," he said, "and he really has a new friend in me… Let me tell you something… When you told me what Nathaniel did to you, I wanted to explode into harsh words against him… I thought that only a cowardly, soulless engine would be capable to betray his best friend, and I immediately considered him a dangerous enemy… But then I remembered that I was also about to steal you an exclusive kiss… and something inside me said that I couldn't judge him… So I preferred to forget him and just try to comfort you… And now, after seeing his video, I notice that the idea I had about him was wrong… An engine that has comforted his brothers when they were being scrapped is not a coward… An engine that sheds tears while saying 'thank you for having loved me as your baby' is not a soulless… Nathaniel is a good friend, not a dangerous enemy… It's just that he made a mistake in a moment of weakness… But in my opinion; he totally redeemed himself by making that video."

"Wow…" Caitlin smiled with emotion. "I'm so happy that he earned a place in your heart, honey… I agree with you that he was just a victim of a moment of weakness, and I also think he redeemed himself with the video… In fact, I already forgot what he did to me. Connor and I had thought to send him a message through a phone call from Gabriel to Mr. O'Mara, but your idea of making a video is much better. Nathaniel will love it, even more considering that you'll be filmed together with me… You surprised me with that decision."

"Actually, Nathaniel made me take that decision," explained Gordon. "He prayed for you to find someone that loves and respects you… and Heaven chose me…"

"Oh, my love… You don't imagine how I cried when he pronounced your name and exclaimed that you're the answer to his prayer… I had said that Heaven decides who we are going to fall in love with… and now I have the proof of that."

Gordon smiled sweetly. "I feel happy to have been chosen to you… You know, I got worried when Nathaniel was about to tell the main reason he made the video, because I thought he would say he fell in love with you after all…"

Caitlin chuckled. "Thank goodness that didn't happen. I wouldn't have liked him to have a crush on me… I was happy with our mother-son relationship… Oh, I'll never forget the day he was born… He resulted to be the last steam locomotive bought by the _B &O Railroad_… and I had blessed to see him being born… Seeing an engine opening the eyes for the first time was something I always wanted, and my dream came true when they asked me to bring home a new engine… I was so excited that I puffed towards the Works faster than ever… As I arrived there, I placed myself near the engine… And after a while, a worker announced enthusiastically that the heart of the new _big baby_ began to beat…"

Gordon listened attentively to the story of Nathaniel's birth. He found it very touching, and it made him better understand the type of relationship that existed between the EM-1 and Caitlin. Also, it made him know Caitlin better, because he noticed that; in addition to being a lovely girlfriend, she had the heart of a sweet mother. "That's a wonderful story," said Gordon. "Now I better understand your feelings towards him and I can see the reason why he still loves you as his _mommy_ … We'll send him our video as soon as possible to comfort him."

"Aww… I'm already excited by thinking of that video…"

"Me too, sweetie. I really want Nathaniel to be calm. By the way, he's very fortunate to have a brother like Austin."

"Oh… you're quite right. He always admired his older brother as an idol indeed. Austin is just wonderful… He's very wise and good-hearted, and he's respectful to everyone, even to the diesels… I'm happy that he was saved… You know, he has a deep manly voice similar to yours…"

Gordon smiled. "Really?"

"Yes… And he used to call me 'rare beauty'… Hee! Hee!"

"O-oh…" Gordon looked deeply into Caitlin's eyes for some seconds. Then, he slowly slid his gaze over her cheeks and her lips… and he continued towards her lamp… her handrails… her skirt… He could feel that Caitlin's heart pounded as he watched each detail of her design… He looked up again, and saw that Caitlin's cheeks had turned red… Gordon thought she looked lovely. "So… 'rare beauty', huh?" he whispered. Caitlin smiled at him shyly, making him unable to contain himself anymore. "You know what?" added Gordon, "I totally agree with him…"

Then, Gordon softly pressed his lips against Caitlin's, giving her a sweet, slow kiss as he continued to enfold her in his embrace.

Caitlin felt like Heaven. She wanted that time stops at this moment… She was a huge speed lover and enjoyed to make each journey as fast as she could. But when Gordon was kissing her… she enjoyed the slowness with which he did it...

"I love you more than ever, Caitlin…" whispered Gordon, interrupting the kiss briefly, "because now I know you better… I can see that your heart only knows how to love and forgive... I love you, precious… my smiling shooting star..."

"I love you too, my imposing gentleman…" responded Caitlin tenderly. "Thank you for making me so happy."

"I would do anything to make you happy... I want all your tears to be of happiness..."

Caitlin smiled. "Then… don't stop kissing me…"

Gordon returned the smiled and looked at her with deep love. "How can you be so lovely?" he asked. And he kissed Caitlin again.

Caitlin also loved Gordon more than ever at this moment. She was still touched by the way he reacted at Nathaniel's video. For her, the fact that Gordon gave Nathaniel a place in his heart was the greatest act of love from him. Now she knew that Gordon would really do anything to make her happy.

After a deep, long kiss, Caitlin gave Gordon a pleading look. "My love…" she whispered, "you'll spend the night here with me, won't you?"

"Well… I don't know…"

"W-what?"

Gordon smiled. "I don't know if you want to stay here or somewhere else, but I'll certainly stay with you."

"Oh... Hee! Hee!"

And their lips met once more.

Caitlin could not avoid thinking that Nathaniel was responsible for this romantic night. And she was right, because had it not been for the gift she got from him, she would not be now like this: lost between Gordon's kisses and his warm embrace in the middle of the week... Certainly, Nathaniel was "guilty" of this moment of love.

Gordon and Caitlin had a wonderful night.

And a few days after, everything was ready to make the video.

* * *

...

* * *

 **A/N** : I've wanted to include in this chapter a little woman-to-woman conversation between Caitlin and her great friend Emily. Hope you've liked it. When Emily said _'Thomas was even my baby one night'_ she was referring to what happened in the Chapter VIII of *Sodor's Precious Jewel*. And since I mentioned this fic, I want to thank "Australian Guest" for the lovely comment he/she left there.

Emily had estimated that Nathaniel was "almost forty metres long" and she was not far from the truth. The EM-1s were 38.2 metres long. This means about one foot longer than the Allegheny 2-6-6-6 (my second favourite articulated engine) and just two metres shorter than the famous Big Boy 4-8-8-4. Still, the EM-1s were not the longest members of the Yellowstone family. This title belongs to their cousins M-3/4s of the _Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad_, which were 38.5 metres long. Three of the M-3/4s were preserved.

In the next chapter, our friends from Sodor will send their video to Nathaniel and will get a touching response from him.

See you, dears!


	6. Thrice Forgiven

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews, my friends! Now you'll see how the express engines make their video for Nathaniel. By the way, I had said that this chapter would include Nathaniel's response, but then I thought it would be better to focus the chapter just in the making of the video for him and leave his response for the next one.

Guest: Thanks for supporting Gordon and Caitlin as a loving couple. :)

Australian Guest: Glad to see another comment from you, my friend. I thank you for the praises, and I encourage you to follow the dream you have of writing a book. Imagining stories is a pleasant task. I usually get inspiration from my experiences as a wife, a mother and a believer in God. :)

Guest 4: My friend, your comments made my day. I'm happy to know that you liked the gift from Nathaniel to Caitlin. You're right that I spent "a lot of energy, sweat, and blood" writing the chapter, because I wanted Nathaniel to tell Caitlin as many things as possible but without making the reader bored, since the reader already knows everything that happened. As for your question about *Together at Christmas Eve*; it will be released next month. :)

I want to dedicate this chapter to AaronCottrell97. Happy Birthday, my friend! :D (Better late than never...XD)

* * *

 **CHAPTER VI**

 **THRICE FORGIVEN**

* * *

 _"Say goodbye to remorse, my baby… Mommy loves you and wants you to be calm…"_ -Caitlin

* * *

The most probable thing is that there is no other product of human's mind more photographed and filmed than the steam locomotive.

Ever since people managed to capture and play back an image; cameras have immortalized those iron beauties in countless photos and videos.

Let the Lumière brothers say so, who included in their first public film projection a scene called _"Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat"_ , marking the beginning of the vast participation of steam trains in different genres of motion pictures.

That said; it is not surprising that Caitlin, Connor and Gordon were used to cameras. Smiling at those devices was practically part of their jobs.

Caitlin was photographed a lot of times during her years of service in her country. Her most stunning photo is perhaps one that was taken in 1937, in which she is seen pulling _The Royal Blue_ on the Thomas Viaduct in Baltimore. And also, there are some no less impressive photos in which she is seen side by side with the "Duchess of Hamilton", a beautiful British locomotive that visited the USA in 1939 to attend the New York World's Fair.

Connor also knew what being a celebrity is like. He was precisely one of the great attractions at the New York World's Fair. Besides, he pulled the most famous passenger train in the history of his country: _The 20th Century Limited_.

As for Gordon, it was common for him to see photographers positioned near Sodor's main line, desiring to get the best picture of him pulling _The Express_.

But still, they three were now trembling in front of an inoffensive camera at Vicarstown Goods Yard…

Anyone would have thought that they never saw something like it. But their nervousness was understandable, because they were about to do something they never did in front of a camera: a speech. Each of them would make a speech following a previously established order.

They were about to make the video for Nathaniel.

As the main actress of the film, Caitlin was the most nervous of the three engines. She thought it would be very difficult to speak comfortably without seeing the one she was speaking to. _"Just look at the camera lens and imagine that your friend is behind it,"_ the cameraman had said to her. But Caitlin found that an EM-1 was something too big to fit behind the small lens… Now she appreciated even more the gift that Nathaniel sent her, because she realized how difficult it must have been for him to make that awesome video.

On the right side of Caitlin was Connor. As soon as the aquamarine engine had heard about the video for Nathaniel, he asked to be part of the cast of actors. He also wanted to do his bit to comfort this compatriotic of his that had an uncertain future. The end of the steam age was very hard for locomotives. Everyone wanted to be preserved, but just some of them would have such a privilege. Connor had been one of the fortunate ones, but he did not stop feeling compassion for others.

Gordon, who was placed on the left side of Caitlin, also felt compassion for others. He might be proud and could think that he did not need anyone's help to live, but the tears of an engine always moved his heart. Even more if the engine in question was bigger than him or was looking for some comfort to be able to face death calmly… Gordon really felt fondness for Nathaniel after seeing his video and he wanted to help him.

Caitlin kept trying to imagine that Nathaniel was behind of the camera lens while mentally rehearsing her speech for the umpteenth time. She did not want to forget one single word. "Are you ready, honey?" asked the cameraman, who was none other than her own driver. "Yes, sir," responded Caitlin. "But please, don't forget to stop filming if I start crying…"

"Don't worry. I won't forget it." The driver turned on the home video camera and raised his right thumb for Caitlin to know she was already being filmed.

And at his moment something funny happened. On knowing that the camera was on, Caitlin could finally imagine the EM-1 behind it. So, she smiled sweetly and began to speak.

"Hello, Nathaniel..."

Caitlin never called her _baby_ by the diminutive of his name as everyone did. She loved the way his full name sounded...

"Thank you for the gift you sent me," she continued. "I saw the full video and... it touched me from the beginning to the end. I never thought I would see you again and hear your voice... You did an awesome job. The news made me happy! I'm pleasantly surprised that my beloved Washington is alive, because I thought that all my brothers had already gone. Please, let him know that I love him with all my heart and that I'm happy he's safe and sound in a comfortable place. Being in a museum really is better than being in a terrible scrapping yard… Also, I'm happy for Austin and Mr. O'Mara! You know; the fact that Austin was bought and that Mr. O'Mara will finally become a father, reminds me that miracles exist and makes me believe that someone will save you from death. You also deserve to have a long life… because you're a sweet, brave engine… I-I'm sorry for your brothers who have gone… but I'm glad to know that they had a calm death thanks to you… When you said that you comforted them in their final hours, I felt a great admiration for you… What you did for them is incredible… and I'm sure you'll be rewarded for that."

Caitlin swallowed and waited a few seconds before continuing.

"Now I will talk specifically about what you wanted to know…" she said afterward. "Um… the day of our farewell, I admit I got angry after what you did, because you never did something like that… I really was frustrated… not only because of the stealing kiss, but… because I would have liked to have a nice memory of our farewell… And when I heard the diesels' laugh I was even angrier… For that reason I just wanted you to get away from me… Then, my journey to New York was quite sad and I could hardly sleep that night. But the next day, it happened… something wonderful which changed my situation. I met an engine on the ship, and we soon became friends. That brought comfort and joy to my heart. And that very day, after seeing a beautiful sunset, I stayed looking at the stars and… thinking of you." Caitlin swallowed again. "I wondered what could have caused you to behave like that... I thought that maybe the fear of being scrapped made you lose control over your actions... or maybe you were in need of a little affection... a-and I said to myself _... 'whatever the reason; I forgive you... I forgive you'..._ "

Caitlin's voice trembled, but she tried not to cry.

"Believe me, Nathaniel..." she continued, "I forgave you the day after our farewell... My anger didn't last too long… But let me tell you something… I-I also have to ask you for forgiveness... I really mean it… I was also selfish, because I didn't consider your feelings either… I should've heard your apologies instead of screaming at you to get away from me... b-but I just thought of me at that moment… A-and even though I forgave you the next day, you were not aware of that... Now I realize that if I had earlier let you know it… you wouldn't have had to endure the weight of remorse all this time… Forgive me, my baby… It's unfair that you have suffered so much… while I was so happy with a new friend!" Caitlin stared to cry.

The driver stopped filming, and Connor and Gordon immediately caressed Caitlin's boiler with their steam.

Caitlin did not want any engine to see her crying, because she did not want to have to give explanations. Fortunately, there was no activity in the yard at that moment, because it was the midday break time.

As Caitlin calmed down, she asked her driver to continue filming. "I still have many things to tell you, my baby," she said as the camera was on, "but now I want you to meet someone that is a piece of my heart… Someone that I call my Guardian Angel… I'm going to let him introduce himself."

The driver pointed the camera towards Connor.

"Hello, Nathaniel," said Caitlin's adoptive brother, "I'm Connor, the engine that Caitlin met on the ship. I worked at the _New York Central Railroad_ by pulling the _20th Century Limited_ along with my nine brothers. I was bought by an English businessman after my retirement, but… my brothers have all gone… I said goodbye to the last of them just the day before my journey to England, so I was in mourning at the time of my departure. I thought I wouldn't be able to endure sadness… but Heaven decided to put Caitlin on the same ship as me, and she resulted to be the angel that comforted me at the worst moment of my life. I felt a great fondness for her, and that very day in which we started our journey to our new home; we adopted one another as siblings." Connor made a little pause. "Um… Nathaniel, Caitlin told me about what happened between you two and… I must say that I got very angry at that moment… I thought you were just a betrayer disguised as a friend. I couldn't believe that someone has dared to disrespect such a tender lady, and I promised Caitlin that I would protect her so that no one will hurt her again… But, after she showed me the video you sent her, I realized that I judged you in a wrong way… Now I see you're a good friend, and the resentment I had against you is in the past… I also forgive you… and I wish you to have a long, happy life."

Connor paused again. He had something else to say.

"I'm sorry about your brothers," he continued, "but I'm impressed by what you did for them… I never heard that another engine has done something like that… It was simply heroic, and I have great respect for you… As Caitlin said, you'll be rewarded for such a noble action. I wish I have had your courage to do the same with my brothers... At least I had the opportunity to say goodbye to them, and one of them even gave me a gift before going... This lamp I have; belonged to the last brother I had left… The day before his scrapping, he gave me his lamp and said to me _'I want to stay close to your heart and be the light that will guide your way'_... So, every time my lamp is on, I feel my brothers' company." Connor smiled. "I'm happy that Austin was saved. You're fortunate to have your older brother alive and count on his help. I hope you'll soon be able to work together with him again. Oh, and I'm also happy for your _engineer_ 's baby... Pleased to meet you, Nathaniel. You've a new friend in me."

The driver pointed the camera towards Caitlin again.

"Well, I hope you've liked the surprise, Nathaniel," she said, "Connor is my adoptive brother. When we arrived at our new home, we worked in different lines for a few months in London. But then the Earl of Sodor, Sir Robert Norramby, came and brought us to the other coast of England at Barrow-in-Furness, to take tourists to the Ulfstead Castle on the Island of Sodor. Since then we work together. The Island of Sodor is a charming place, a real paradise." Caitlin smiled widely. "Here I met Gordon, and a few months later he and I fell in love with each other… Oh, you don't imagine how wonderful our first night together was... It was a rainy summer night; we were into a tunnel at the Ulfstead Castle, a place that became our 'Tunnel of Love'; and at the very time when the castle clock struck midnight, Gordon gave me the exclusive kiss I had dreamed of… I just felt like Heaven! And now, after seeing your video, I realize that that wonderful night I had was thanks to you… because you're the one who prayed for me to find the love of my life… Thank you, my baby… thanks for your prayer…" Caitlin was about to cry again, so she decided to give the floor to Gordon before her voice broke. "I suppose you're eager to see precisely the engine who won my heart," she added, still smiling. "So here is him… Meet the love of my life; my other Guardian Angel."

Caitlin let her tears roll down her cheeks as her driver pointed the camera towards Gordon.

"Hello, Nathaniel," said the blue engine with a warm smile. "I'm Gordon, the _answer to your prayer_ , as you yourself had said. Your _mommy_ showed me the video you sent her and I must say you did an amazing job. I also want to thank you for your prayer, because my relationship with Caitlin is in fact a blessing from Heaven. I never thought I would fall in love someday… I even used to tease my friends who are in love… I'm serious… But when I met Caitlin, I began to feel something new in my heart, and although I didn't want to admit it, that feeling was getting stronger… until I couldn't hide it anymore. So, one night I declared my love to her and she said that she had also fallen in love with me… It was the best moment of my life... Then, before our first kiss, she told me about what you did to her… I'll be honest with you, Nathaniel, I immediately considered you a dangerous enemy, because I didn't know you properly… But don't think that that story ruined our moment… On the contrary, it made me love Caitlin even more, and I promised her that I would never hurt her… And then, I kissed her as delicately as I could."

Caitlin closed her eyes and smiled between her tears. She could hardly believe that Gordon was telling those things to Nathaniel…

"When I saw your video some days ago," continued Gordon, "I realized that I judged you wrong. You're not a dangerous enemy; you were just a victim of a moment of weakness. You're a good-hearted engine and I want you to know that I also forgive you. I wish you feel in your heart that peace that you were looking for. You have a new friend in me… or a new brother, if you prefer so." Gordon's smile slowly faded. "Speaking of brothers; I'm sorry about yours… You really are brave for what you did for them in their last hours… And I think, despite having lost them, you're very fortunate to have had the opportunity to say goodbye to them. For my part, I didn't have that opportunity... I had seventy-nine siblings, all of them working in England, and a few years ago, I was simply informed that all but one were scrapped... It was the worst news I ever got… At least the one who was saved was able to visit me and he cheered me up... Maybe you've heard about him, since he's very famous; it's the Flying Scotsman... I confess that I'm a bit jealous about his fame, and this even causes some friction between us at times. But still, I feel blessed to have him alive."

Caitlin continued to be surprised at Gordon's words. She knew that he did not open his heart to anyone so easily. And even though Gordon really felt affection for Nathaniel since he watched his video, Caitlin wondered if he would also say all those things in case Nathaniel himself was in front of him...

Gordon smiled before continuing. "You're also fortunate to have one brother alive," he said. "Caitlin told me that you admire Austin as an idol and I don't blame you for that. I'm glad to know that he was saved the very day that the Lord let you know about the latest Valentine's concert there was here… You know; the dedicatory I made to Caitlin was also a surprise to me, because I didn't know that _"With a song in my heart"_ was her favourite love song. No doubt it was an inspiration from Heaven... Oh, and the dance of Gabriel and his wife was another surprise, because that was not part of my plan… You can imagine how happy Caitlin and I spent the night in our 'Tunnel of Love' after the event… By the way, the video you sent made me know the kind of relationship you had with Caitlin. She never told me about that, but I understand her reasons. I find very sweet the fact that she feels a maternal fondness for you and I respect it. There is another female engine over here who usually behaves as a mother to others, so that kind of love is nothing new to me…" Gordon swallowed on remembering the night in which Emily comforted him as a mother after he told her about a painful secret of his. "Nathaniel," he continued, "I really want you to be saved from death. You deserve to continue enjoying life and, of course, see your future little sibling grow up. Thanks again for your prayer. I'm glad to have met you."

Caitlin smiled widely as her driver pointed the camera towards her again.

"Now you already know the answer to your prayer, Nathaniel," said Caitlin. "As he himself said, our relationship is a blessing from Heaven. Precisely, next month will be one year since the night we declared our love to each other… We couldn't spend our first Christmas together because a heavy snowfall forced the closure of all the tracks. But fortunately, our first Valentine's Day was as beautiful as we had dreamed it… You know; when I learned through your video that Gabriel's wife is Mr. O'Mara's cousin, I concluded that, in some way, you had been present in the marvellous dance that they performed at the concert. I thought of it because... well... people say that relatives are united by ties of blood and love, and since you love Mr. O'Mara as a father and he has the same blood of his cousin, then you can understand my strange conclusion…"

Gordon and Connor looked at each other and smiled in approval at Caitlin's strange but sweet conclusion.

"Nathaniel…" continued Caitlin, "I hope you won't be upset because I told Connor and Gordon about what happened in our farewell… I didn't do it with bad intention... It's just that, when I met Connor on the ship; I wanted to vent to him… and when Gordon declared his love to me; I felt that he had to know it… But I didn't tell them anything else about us. I didn't explain to them how our relationship was, and that's why they didn't know you properly… The reason why I didn't say anything about our relationship, it's because I wanted to leave my past behind, since you and I would never see each other again… But I'll tell you something; I… I never stopped loving you as my baby…" Caitlin swallowed before continuing, "… and I wanted to get news about you… So I decided to tell Gordon everything about us before trying to communicate with you. But then I was frightened at the thought of being told that you were scrapped… I wouldn't have endured that… and I reversed my decision. But on receiving your gift, I noticed that I couldn't remain silent anymore. So I showed the video to my two Guardian Angels… Now they know you properly and… they also forgive you…"

Caitlin swallowed hard again. She did not want a lump in her throat to appear at this moment and prevent her from continuing. She wanted to keep speaking to her _baby_ , especially now that she already felt comfortable in front of the camera. Besides, considering that the midday break time was about to finish, she could not afford to waste valuable minutes by crying. So, to distract herself a little from the touching words, she momentarily changed the topic of conversation.

"By the way," said Caitlin, "Connor and I had thought to send you a message through a phone call from Gabriel to Mr. O'Mara, but Gordon had the idea to make a video. So, we choose this place to film it. This is Vicarstown Goods Yard on the Island of Sodor. We'll send you some photos together with the video for you to see how beautiful Sodor is, and also, you'll see Barrow-in-Furness Station of England, where Connor and I have our sheds."

Caitlin made a paused and continued with the touching words. She had to finish her speech already, because the shunting engines would invade the yard again at any time.

"Say goodbye to remorse, my baby," she said, tenderly, "don't suffer anymore because of that… _Mommy_ loves you and wants you to be calm… Remember that here you have two new friends who also want you to be happy… You have a place in our hearts, my baby… We'll pray for you to be saved from death… You already know that the Lord can do what we can't. So, don't lose hope… May all your dreams come true… even your dream of seeing a blue butterfly, in case you still didn't see one… Say hello to Austin, Washington, Mr. O'Mara and Bernard for us, and let us know when your little sibling is born and you're saved… Be happy, my baby… _Mommy_ loves you… See you soon."

Caitlin's driver stopped filming. He walked away a little and made a shot with the three engines for a few seconds. Then he turned the camera off.

"Wow…" said Caitlin afterward, "you two are amazing! Thanks for helping me with this."

"The amazing one is you, sister of mine. Your words were very touching."

"Connor is right. Nathaniel will love your gift."

"Better said; our gift." Caitlin winked at Gordon. "Oh, I imagine how happy Nathaniel will feel on seeing you two at my side... I hope the video reaches its destination soon..."

"And so it will be, sweetie. Remember that it'll travel by plane."

"Yes... but I want the days to fly by like the plane..."

"Calm down, Caitlin!" exclaimed Connor and Gordon.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

The three engines pumped their pistons and puffed out of the yard. "Hey… I have an idea," said Connor. "How about we do a TV series about steam engines? I'm already enjoying that issue of speaking in front of a camera!"

They three laughed heartily.

The Other Railway's controller had promised Caitlin that he would send the video by plane to the USA, taking advantage of the fact that he had to send some documents to that country.

And thanks to him, just a week later, the precious gift came to Mr. O'Mara's hands...

* * *

...

* * *

 **A/N:** The "Duchess of Hamilton" is a British LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 locomotive, built in 1938 at Crewe. She was saved from the scrap yard and is currently on display at the _National Railway Museum_ in York, England.

I've not taken into account the 1939 New York World's Fair when I wrote *A Kiss at Midnight*, so the mention of such an event in this chapter brings me a big problem. Given that Connor and Caitlin were at that fair, we can assume that they already knew each other when they met on the ship that would take them to England... Anyway, we could think that there were so many engines at the fair that they wouldn't be able to remember all of them.

Gordon mentioned the announcement of his siblings' scrapping in his speech. According to *Tenders for Henry* from RWS, he got that sad announcement in 1967, that is to say, seven years after the events from this fic. But in the TV show, the episode *Tender Engines* (based on *Tenders for Henry*) takes place a long time before Connor and Caitlin arrive at Sodor. So, I decided to include that fact here. As for _'the night in which Emily comforted him as a mother'_ , that will be explained in another fic.

In the next chapter there will be some surprises along with Nathaniel's response. Besides, Nathaniel's fate WILL FINALLY BE REVEALED. It's true. No more suspense! But I'm almost sure that a certain surprise will leave you intrigued... :D

See you soon, my friends!


	7. Peace and Happiness

**A/N:** My dears, thanks again for having followed this story! I never thought about creating an OC, because readers usually prefer the canon characters and it's very difficult to make them accept an "intrude." But at the end, I have a long list of _intruders_ and I'm very happy that you all accepted them. I'm really grateful to you all! :)

Guest 4: Thank you! Enjoy Nathaniel's response now.

Australian Guest: Thank you! I wanted to show that Caitlin, Gordon and Connor also recognized their own mistakes. I'm glad to know that you noticed that detail.

Thanks Jeremy for helping me one more time! :D

* * *

 _"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."_

Psalm 34:19

* * *

 **CHAPTER VII - FINAL  
**

 **PEACE AND HAPPINESS**

* * *

 _"What else could I ask for? The only task I have left is to thank Heaven, and that's precisely what I'll do at this moment... "_ -Nathaniel

* * *

"Hurry! Hurry! I have to go faster!"

"It's impossible for you to go faster..."

"That's not true! I look like a turtle with crutches going like this!"

"You are already at the limit of your capacity, you _turtle_."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"How do you know I'm at the limit, sir?"

"Huh? Because I'm your driver! Does someone know you better than me?"

"Caitlin."

"Oh! But she can't drive you."

"She drives my heartbeats."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Good one!"

Thank goodness Gordon's driver does not lose his patience so easily…

Gordon is fast like Connor and Caitlin. To be exact, he can go as fast as they do, and even faster if circumstances permit. But still, he was not satisfied with his speed at this moment, although his wheels barely touched the tracks while he was flying towards the mainland.

It was a summer evening, and Gordon wanted to arrive at Barrow-in-Furness as soon as possible to meet up with Connor and Caitlin. The two American engines were waiting for him at the station for a very important reason. One month and a half had passed since they sent their video to Nathaniel, and they had just received his response.

"Express coming throuuugh!" exclaimed Gordon happily as he crossed the Vicarstown Bridge. And when he finally reached Barrow Station, his breathing was so agitated that he could hardly say hello to his friends. He placed himself into Caitlin's track and stopped a few metres from her. His cheeks were red from all the effort he made during his journey.

"Looks like someone was traveling too fast," commented Connor with a smile. "What do you say, Caitlin?"

"I say you're right. And now he doesn't even have strength to give me a kiss."

The three friends laughed.

Gordon really was not in condition to kiss his girlfriend now. He needed to catch his breath before that. He relaxed his wheels and breathed a few times under his friend's sweet gaze. "So… what did Nathaniel say?" he asked afterward.

"We still didn't see the video and the photos he sent, honey," replied Caitlin. "We wanted to see everything together with you."

"Oh… well." Gordon was happy that his friends had waited for him to see the gifts. It was a nice gesture from them.

A worker was on the platform beside a cinema projector. As Caitlin asked him, he turned on the appliance and the _magical window_ was opened on the wall of the station. The three engines were eager to see Nathaniel on the screen and hear his words.

But strangely, the engine that appeared on the screen was not Nathaniel. In fact, it was not even an EM-1. Gordon and Connor were very confused. But Caitlin recognized the engine immediately…

"Oh, my Gosh!" exclaimed Caitlin. "Washington!"

"Hello, little sister!" greeted Washington, smiling widely. "It's a pleasure to be able to communicate with you after so much time! I hope it's all right with you! Austin came to visit me and brought me news about you. He said that you're happy in your new home and that you have an adoptive brother and a boyfriend. That's just wonderful! He also showed me some photos you've sent. Oh, Caitlin, pleased to meet Connor and Gordon! I could see through your photo that they're big, powerful engines, and I'm happy that you're well protected by them! I find it very sweet that you call them 'Guardian Angels'. Say hello to them for me!"

Caitlin's chin trembled and she began to shed tears of emotion. She did not expect this surprise. Connor and Gordon were touched as well, especially Connor, who had no brother left...

"I'm also well protected here at the museum," continued Washington. "The workers keep me clean and hydrated, and there are so many entertainment activities for visitors that it's impossible to get bored. I thank Heaven for being here. Our brothers had already gone to the _Railroad of the Clouds_ and I was waiting for my turn to go as well. But one morning, I was awakened by a diesel and he said that I was donated to the museum. You can't imagine how happy I felt! One week before that, your baby Nathaniel was taken to the same yard where I was and they left him around fifty meters from me, but he didn't recognize me because of my sorry state. Luckily, I could talk with him for a while before I go to the museum, and I promised him I would pray for him. I hope he'll be saved too… Caitlin, I'm happy for you… Say to Gordon and Connor that they have a new friend in me and that I'm grateful to them for being your Guardian Angels. Enjoy life, little sister... I also love you with all my heart and I always think of you. Enjoy life, Caitlin… I love you."

Caitlin shed more tears. She could hardly believe she had seen her beloved brother again. But she tried to contain herself, because she did not want to miss any detail of the video.

Some seconds after, another engine appeared on the screen. But this was not Nathaniel either. It was a big streamlined diesel…

Caitlin smiled. "Guys… meet Bernard," she said.

"Hello, Caitlin!" greeted Bernard. "And hello to Connor and Gordon too! Nat told me about you and showed me some photos you've sent. I can see you're happy in your new home. Pleased to meet your adoptive brother and your boyfriend! You're very fortunate, my friend! You know; I'm looking after your big baby here. I don't let anyone bother him! Also, I come to visit him as far as I can and I bring him all the funny news of the railroad to make him laugh. I also accompany him some nights for him not to feel alone. It's true that we didn't get along well in these years, but thank Heaven we've made peace and now we're great friends. I really want him to be saved. It's unfair that he's abandoned here after having been so brave in accompanying his brothers in their last hours. So, I'm doing my best to give him joy. Luckily, Austin and Mr. O'Mara also come to visit him… Caitlin, I'm glad to communicate with you! Please, say to Gordon and Connor that I would like them to accept me as a friend. But if they don't want it, I'll understand, since I'm a diesel… Anyway, I'm happy to know that you're loved by them. I wish the best for you three! Always be happy!"

Connor and Gordon smiled. Of course they accepted Bernard's friendship. If he was doing his best to give Nathaniel joy, then he was a friend.

Another engine appeared on the screen. This time it was an EM-1. But his face looked a bit different to Nathaniel's and his smoke-box wore a clear colour… Caitlin smiled widely. She did not need to introduce this engine. Connor and Gordon already assumed it was Austin. And Caitlin already assumed what he would say…

"Hello, rare beauty!"

Caitlin was right.

"It's a pleasure to have news from you!" said Austin after his famous phrase. "I'm glad to know that you're happy in your new home. Nat invited me to see the video you sent to him. Oh, Caitlin… I cried while seeing that! And the photos are wonderful! I was surprised to see your boyfriend and your adoptive brother beside you… You and your Guardian Angels made an amazing job! Let me talk to them a little… Connor and Gordon; pleased to meet you two! Thanks for looking after Caitlin and for including my little brother in your list of friends. Please, include me in that list as well! By the way, I felt moved by your siblings' stories... I want you two to know that every time we lose a loved being; we gain another angel in Heaven. So your siblings are looking after you from the _Railroad of the Clouds._ In fact, Nat and I feel the presence of our brothers every time we see the sky and talk to them..." Austin paused and swallowed. "My friends, the video you've made is priceless… I witnessed Nat's great desire to know if he was forgiven for his mistake, and now I am to witness the great happiness he feels on knowing that his wish has been granted... Now, in case he has to go, he'll be able to be calm in his last hours… and I'll be able to endure his departure… But, as you Caitlin have said, miracles exist. So I still hold out the hope that he'll be saved, even more on knowing that you three are also praying for him. Thanks again, my friends… I'll never forget what you did for my little brother. You three have a place in my heart!"

The three express engines had a lump in their throats. Austin's speech touched them. And now they were even more excited waiting for Nathaniel's appearance.

But the _star of the film_ was taking his time to appear…

The one who appeared in the following scene was not even an engine; it was a human, a muscular man with clear eyes and freckles... Caitlin wanted to introduce him, but the lump in her throat prevented her from doing it.

"Hello, sweetness on wheels!" greeted the man. "Thanks for making my engine happy!"

Connor and Gordon realized that this man could only be Nathaniel's _engineer_.

"I've received the gifts you sent," continued Mr. O'Mara, "and I went flying to show them to Nat. He couldn't believe what he saw! We cried on seeing you and your Guardian Angels… What a touching job you three did! I'm very grateful to you all for the gifts, because Nat is like a son of mine and his happiness is important to me. Now I can be relaxed by knowing that his heart is full of joy… Caitlin, your baby always prayed for you to find someone who loves you, and when I saw the Valentine's concert broadcast, I knew that Heaven heard him. I told him everything about the event and showed him the newspaper article, and that was the first time I saw him so happy since your departure… You know, Caitlin; my wife and I've shed tears with the dedicatory you received from your boyfriend. We already knew that you engines can also feel romantic love, but we didn't know how far the demonstrations of affection could go between you all. So what Gordon did was unexpected and touching. That gesture even made us remember our engagement day… I had dedicated a love song to my future wife; then I gave her a bouquet of flowers and… I asked her to marry me."

Caitlin looked at Gordon and smiled shyly. And Gordon made her shiver by giving her a seductive wink…

"Another thing that moved us;" continued Mr. O'Mara, "was to see our cousins Sophia and Gabriel dancing like in a fairy tale. Oh, Caitlin, I can imagine how happy you felt… Gordon really loves you. And I'm glad to know that another compatriotic of ours has been saved. Connor is very fortunate! I just hope our Nat is saved too. Thanks again for the gifts! They not only made my engine happy, but they also gave happiness to me. By the way, I'll keep you all up to date with the news about Nat, and I'll let you know when my little one is born. See you soon, guys! I send to you all some pats on your boilers!"

The three engines felt fondness for Mr. O'Mara. They even believed they felt his pats on their boilers.

And the moment to see the star of the film finally arrived.

Nathaniel appeared on the screen with such a huge smile that almost did not fit on his face. He had something placed on his pilot just behind his lamp, but due the filming angle it was not possible to distinguish such an object.

"Hello, my beloved angels!" exclaimed Nathaniel, making his spectators smile tenderly as their hearts pounded. "Wow! I don't even know where to start! I-I hope you all have liked the participation of the other _actors_. I-I wanted them to appear in the video for you all to know that your greetings were delivered."

 _"Oh, my baby..."_ thought Caitlin, _"only you can be so sweet…"_

"You three are amazing!" continued Nathaniel. "I couldn't believe when my engineer showed me the gifts you sent. He had to stop the projection of the video again and again because I simply didn't stop crying. It was so exciting to see you all and hear your wonderful words… And the photos are spectaculars! I can see that the Island of Sodor and Barrow-in-Furness are beautiful places. But certainly, the photo I love the most is that one in which you three appear! I have it here with me. Mr. O'Mara put it in a photo frame and placed it on my pilot, behind my lamp, so that I can see it the entire day! Oh, it's a blessing to wake up every morning and see your angelic smiles…"

Caitlin began to shed tears again. And Gordon and Connor were about to do the same...

"Caitlin..." said Nathaniel afterward, looking more calmed, "thank you for forgiving me... Thank you, mommy… You don't imagine how I felt when you said that you already forgave me the day after our farewell... A great weight had been lifted off my boiler! Oh, my mommy… thank you… Now I have a clear conscience and my heart is full of joy… By the way, you said that you also had to ask me for forgiveness for not considering my feelings and not hearing my apologies... and you believed that all this time I unfairly endured the weight of remorse..." Nathaniel smiled tenderly, "Caitlin... you've nothing to blame yourself, because everything formed part of a higher plan... I really mean it... Do you remember that I told you about the conversation I have with Austin in the night of that unforgettable day? Well, he had said that if I wanted to be forgiven; I had to forgive others… But he also said something that turned out to be the purest truth... He said _'I am pretty sure that the Lord is waiting for you to get rid of the rancor in order to reveal to you if Caitlin forgave you'..._."

Caitlin's chin trembled uncontrollably.

"You see, mommy?" continued Nathaniel. "Everything formed part of a higher plan... There was so much rancor against the diesels in my heart that the Lord decided that you would leave without forgiving me... And when I finally made peace with Bernard two months ago; the Lord inspired me to communicate with you through a video... I-I guess I don't need to tell you the result of that video… So, don't blame yourself, mommy… It was a perfect higher plan." Nathaniel added with a trembling voice; "did I forget to say that Austin was always right?"

Caitlin could no longer contain herself. She closed her eyes and cried.

Connor asked the worker to stop the projection, and Gordon advanced towards Caitlin up to touch her skirt.

Caitlin cried for a few minutes. The revelation she had just heard was even more touching than Washington's unexpected participation in the video. Now that she knew that 'everything formed part of a higher plan' she also felt that a great weight had been lifted off her boiler.

As she calmed down, Caitlin opened her eyes and saw that Gordon was looking at her tenderly.

"Your baby doesn't want you to feel guilty for anything," whispered Gordon as he touched Caitlin's nose with his own. "Are you okay now, my love?"

"Yes, I am…" Caitlin smiled, "my tears were just of emotion… I didn't expect such a revelation… Now I feel fine… Let's keep watching the video."

The worker made the projection continue, and it could be seen that there was a cut on the video. Certainly, Nathaniel had cried as well.

"As for the fact that you told Connor and Gordon about what I did," said Nathaniel afterward, "of course I'm not upset… You had the right to vent, Caitlin… you did it well... Besides, I had not only asked Heaven for you to find the love or your life, but also, I asked It to comfort you and give you a nice journey to your new home... and it was a pleasant surprise for me to know that Connor was the answer to that prayer!"

Connor gasped.

"I would like to talk to him and Gordon now…" Nathaniel made a little pause. "Connor, my friend, pleased to meet you! I never heard about you in particular, but I did hear about the luxury train you pulled. Glad to know that you were saved. I'm sorry about your brothers, but it's a blessing that the Lord gave Caitlin to you as a new sister for you to be happy again… The fact that the lamp you have was a gift from the last of your brothers really touches me… What he said while giving it to you made me cry… It was such a meaningful gesture! No wonder that you feel your brothers' company every time your lamp is on… Connor, thank you for comforting my mommy during the journey and for protecting her like a Guardian Angel... I understand that you got angry with me when she told you about what I did. In fact, I deserved that Heaven Itself gets angry. But I'm happy to know that you also forgave me and that you're the other answer to my prayer… Thanks for being my new friend!"

Connor swallowed hard and looked at Caitlin. And Caitlin smiled at him with deep affection.

"Gordon," said Nathaniel after another little pause, "when I made the first video I sent, I only thought of being forgiven by Caitlin. But when I received the response, I-I discovered that I was… thrice forgiven! Thank you, Gordon! Thank you for being my new friend and for giving Caitlin the kiss of true love… It touched me what you told about your relationship with her… That first night in your 'Tunnel of Love'… you were a real gentleman! You know; my _engineer_ told me that many fairy tales take place in Ireland's impressive castles. So, when Caitlin said that your first night together was at a castle, I imagined that she was a princess getting a kiss from her prince!"

Gordon's gaze filled with sweetness, making Caitlin feel an immense desire to kiss him…

Nathaniel's smiled faded. "It's a pity that you've not been able to say goodbye to your siblings…" he said. "I imagine it was very difficult to endure that… But you can still communicate with them… Just look at the sky and talk to them from your heart, and Lady will deliver your message to them. Austin and I do so, and we feel the presence of our brothers…"

Gordon took a deep breath on remembering the moment he got the news about his siblings' fate.

"You're fortunate to have a surviving brother," continued Nathaniel, "and although there is some friction between you two, the important thing is that you love him… I did hear of the Flying Scotsman, and I heard of Mallard too. You belong to a royal family! As for what you said about being jealous of your brother's fame; let me tell you something… The Flying Scotsman may be the most famous locomotive in the world and have several records to his credit, but… he's not Caitlin's boyfriend! So, you shouldn't be jealous of him."

Gordon smiled proudly. _"Good one!"_ he thought. He not only liked the phrase "He's not Caitlin's boyfriend," but also "You belong to a royal family"...

"Thank you also for suggesting the idea of sending me the video, Gordon," said Nathaniel. "I was surprised on hearing your voice… It sounds very much like Austin's! I bet that Caitlin is crazy for your voice, because she loves deep manly voices."

Caitlin's cheeks got red and she looked down. Gordon and Connor chuckled.

"My friends," continued Nathaniel, "you three don't imagine how happy I felt with your gifts… I still don't know whether if someone will save me or not, but what I'm sure is; if I have to go, I'll be able to stay calm in my last hours... I'll be thinking of you all, coupled up to Austin and seeing this photo I have with me… But, as Mr. O'Mara said to me; while there's life, there is hope… And as Austin usually says; enjoy this moment and let the Lord decide things."

The three engines were deeply touched. They wondered if they would have the same spiritual strength of Nathaniel in case they had to be scrapped as well…

"Gordon and Connor," said Nathaniel, "keep looking after Caitlin... She's a priceless jewel; the B&O's rare beauty… and you two are blessed to have her... Make sure that all her tears are just of happiness... Please, give her a kiss on the forehead for me..."

Nathaniel's voice broke and there was a cut on the film. And the three spectators felt a lump in their throats…

In the next scene, Nathaniel was smiling again. "Caitlin," he said, "thanks for all the love you gave me and for forgiving me… By the way, I still didn't see a blue butterfly, but I'm happy to have seen you again and have met your Guardian Angels… I don't dare to ask the Lord for anything else… He already gave me a lot of gifts, and... I'll still have the blessing to see my little sibling! Oh, mommy, what else could I ask for? The only task I have left is to thank Heaven, and that's precisely what I'll do at this moment... Caitlin, you had told me that the best way to praise the Lord is by singing..."

Caitlin trembled. _"Don't tell me you'll sing, my baby..."_ she thought, _"…for Heaven's sake, don't do that!"_

"… so, I would like to show Him my gratitude by singing," continued Nathaniel, making Caitlin tremble even more. "I know that it's still six months until Christmas, but still, I want to sing the carol we've always sung together at Christmas Eve… that wonderful carol you taught me in my first Christmas, when I was only four months old…"

 _"OH, NO!"_ Caitlin thought she was going to collapse by emotion.

Nathaniel closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then he began to sing with his angelic voice...

 _Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining_

 _It is the night of our dear Savior's birth_

Caitlin looked at Gordon tearfully. "Come closer... to me…" she whispered. Gordon obeyed and pressed his forehead against hers.

 _Long lay the world in sin and error pining_

 _Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth_

Caitlin heard her _baby's_ sweet voice while crying quietly. She relived those moments in which they sang together, and she felt a pain in her heart on thinking that perhaps Nathaniel would no longer be alive for Christmas, since the period of time they gave him to wait for a buyer would expire in November, right after meeting his little sibling…

Nathaniel performed the carol in an impressive way, even more considering that he did it _a cappella_. At first his voice sounded soft, but as he got closer to the higher parts of the melody; his voice became more powerful, without coming out of tune at any time.

Gordon and Connor were also moved by the song. And now that they knew Nathaniel properly; they would have liked him to be on Sodor with them... But that was practically impossible, since a locomotive of an EM-1's size could not work on the British railways. At least, they were calm to know that he would not suffer in his last hours in case he was not saved.

Nathaniel concluded his performance by repeating powerfully the last line of the song, without imagining he would exclaim those same words at the moment of knowing about his fate a few months later...

 _O night divine! O night, O night divine!_

After some seconds, Nathaniel opened his eyes and smiled. "Thanks again for making me so happy, my angels!" he said. "If I have to go, I'll look after you three from the _Railroad of the Clouds_. I love you all, my friends… I love you all! Gordon and Caitlin, congratulations on your first relationship anniversary! Mommy… always be happy!"

There was a change of scene, and in the next one, Nathaniel and Austin appeared smiling widely at the camera, making their three spectators smile as well. And after a few seconds, the video tape stopped.

Despite being quite touched, the three friends felt a great joy in their hearts; a joy that could only come from Heaven. They made someone happy, and now Heaven rewarded them by making them feel even happier. Besides, they not only made one engine happy, but they also made three other engines and a human happy...

"Wow..." said Connor, excited, "that was not a home production... That was a blockbuster!"

"You're right," responded Caitlin. Her cheeks were still covered in tears. "All the actors were awesome and tender... and my baby sang like an angel..."

"That's because he had an awesome singing teacher," said Gordon.

The three engines laughed.

"By the way, Caitlin," said Connor, "was not Washington streamlined?"

"No. Only three of my brothers and I were streamlined. But I was the only one to have this design."

"Ah. No doubt you were the B&O's rare beauty."

"Hee! Hee! Oh, the phrase from my dear Austin…"

"The one who has a deep manly voice?" asked Gordon, cheekily.

They three laughed again. And they spent the following minutes speaking about the 'blockbuster' they had just seen. Also, they saw the photos that Nathaniel sent along with the video. Those images showed each actor of the film. Caitlin shed tears again on seeing Washington. And what Connor and Gordon liked the most was the photo that showed Nathaniel's _engineer_ smiling from ear to ear while embracing a beautiful pregnant woman... At last they could meet Mr. O'Mara's wife! She also had Irish features, with a stunning hair that fell to her waist, and she smiled widely just like her husband. The three engines were really happy with these gifts.

"Gordon," said Connor after seeing the photos, "I remember that our friend Nathaniel wanted us to give Caitlin a kiss on the forehead for him."

"I remember it too," responded Gordon, "and I'll comply with his order right now."

Caitlin smiled and closed her eyes. "Mmm..." she sighed while feeling Gordon's lips on her forehead. "Thank you..." she whispered.

"Wait..." responded Gordon, taking advantage of the situation to keep kissing her, "I still didn't end... This one is from him as well..." He approached Caitlin's cheek and kissed her skin tenderly. Then, he kept kissing her cheek, saying the name of someone before each kiss. "This is from my brother-in-law Washington… This is from our friend Austin... and from our friend Bernard..."

"Mmm…" Caitlin sighed again, enjoying the moment.

"This is from our _engineer_ Mr. O'Mara..." continued Gordon, "and from his wife... and from his baby..."

Connor chuckled before such a sweet scene. "Um… Gordon… don't forget me, please."

"Oh, of course not. This is from my brother-in-law Connor…"

"Hee! Hee!" laughed Caitlin. "Thank you, my love," she said as Gordon moved from her cheek. "But… will there be one from you?"

"What a question…" responded Gordon. "This is from me…" This time, he pressed his lips against Caitlin's; kissing her slowly, just like she liked… "Mr. O'Mara is right…" he whispered afterwards.

"Huh?"

"You're the sweetness on wheels…"

"Oh…" Caitlin blushed.

Soon after, the three engines left the station and set off for the sheds. Gordon stayed to spend the night there.

And that night, Caitlin slept happily between her brother and her boyfriend. She was very grateful to them for giving her so much fondness. And she was very grateful to Heaven for giving Nathaniel the peace and happiness he wanted so much.

Just like Nathaniel, Caitlin did not dare to ask for anything else either. She preferred to let the Heaven decide things…

* * *

The following night, in the USA, Nathaniel had just fallen asleep in his precarious shed at Cumberland's shunting yard. He was covered in dust; his paintwork was much deteriorated, and due to the fact that more than three months had passed since his retirement; his gears had no longer a single drop of oil. At least his boiler still had water enough for him not to feel thirsty.

But despite his sorry state, Nathaniel was happy and he slept peacefully. This day, his _engineer_ announced him that his "three angels" had already seen the gifts he sent them. Mr. O'Mara got the news through a phone call from his cousin Sophia.

In the berth next to Nathaniel, his friend Bernard slept. Like so many other nights, Bernard had renounced the comfort of his own shed in order to keep him company. The diesel was also very happy this night, since Mr. O'Mara told him that Gordon and Connor had accepted him as a friend.

While the two friends slept soundly, something unusual happened.

A soft breeze, which seemed to come from the sky, approached Nathaniel and began to slowly remove the dust from his face, leaving it clean and with a strange glow as if a light had been turned on in front of him. Then, a little sigh of pleasure escaped the EM-1's lips, as if he were enjoying a caress on his cheek...

It was Lady's presence.

Nathaniel was getting a heavenly visit.

 _"Son of mine..."_ Lady said to Nathaniel's soul; _"receive these caresses from your brothers… They're very proud of you, because besides having given them serenity in their last hours, you came back to be the sweet engine you always were, and you've also bravely prepared for your own death..."_

Lady caressed Nathaniel tenderly, and looked at him with deep love as he smiled slightly in his sleep.

 _"You won't die, son…"_ continued Lady; _"I've said that your name was prophetic, and it still is… There are still more gifts from God for you... In addition to meeting your little sibling, you'll be bought by a man who will give you a new, happy life... If they still didn't find him, it's just because they're searching in the wrong place... but everything will be resolved in good time... You'll also see a blue butterfly and... she'll win your heart..."_ Lady smiled sweetly; _"I really mean it, son... you'll fall in love... You'll also know what an exclusive kiss feels like... There's someone who is waiting for the love of her life, and Heaven chose you for her... But, before all that happens; there will be another little moment of anguish... But don't fear, because I'll be at your side so that you don't lose your spiritual strength... That moment of_ _ _anguish_ will be only for your happiness to be greater afterward... Nothing happens by chance."_

Soon, Lady caressed Bernard as well. _"Nathaniel's brothers are also proud of you, son…"_ she said; _"because you get rid of the rancour against steam engines and you're doing your best to give Nathaniel joy… You'll have a long life… and happiness will never depart from your heart…"_

Lady gave the two engines a heavenly embrace. Then, she looked at Nathaniel again. _"Get ready to spend the best Christmas of your life, son,"_ she said, _"and to meet Austin's girlfriend too…"_

And Lady returned Heaven, leaving behind some particles of golden dust.

Nathaniel had the sweetest dreams that night. He would be saved from the scrapping after all, and would spend a wonderful Christmas as a welcome to his new life. Many surprises awaited him. He did not imagine he was right when he said that Austin would _draw sighs from the N &W's girls_. He did not imagine who his buyer would be, nor who would intercede for him.

He did not imagine he would sing "O Holy Night" at Christmas Eve…

…together with his _mommy_ Caitlin on the Island of Sodor!

But all that is another story…

 **...**

* * *

 _ **THE END**_

* * *

 **...**

 **A/N:** I hope you've liked the surprises! Now you already know that *Together at Christmas Eve* is the sequel of this story. :)

If you want to know what I imagine Nathaniel's voice sounds like, search on YouTube for "Marc Martel - O Holy Night". I can't imagine a better voice for him!

And if it intrigues you to think about Nathaniel's future girl, well... she appeared in the second chapter of *Tears of Happiness*... Everything was coldly calculated! As for Austin's girlfriend; just wait and see. :)

See you very soon, my friends!


End file.
